Love Eternal?
by Ryujisama
Summary: In a world of darkness, one can become quite lonely... until they gain the thirst for someone to share it all with. The long-awaited Chapter 10 is up!
1. First Night

Disclaimer: The following characters mentioned in this fanfic do not belong to me. They are created by/belong to Ayana Itsuki, and the guys at TV Tokyo. If I did own them, I wouldn't have to be writing a fanfic about them .

--Love Eternal…?--

"So you are a man of Science, are you, Mr. Shido?" came a melodious and enticing voice from inside the fireplace-lit room inside the dark mansion. Two men inside the ancient building in Transylvania were having a light discussion. The one with the deep, penetrating voice was a tall, blonde, elegant man; he was pouring into two glasses of red liquid which was perceived as wine. After pouring, he placed the bottle containing the liquid on a small table set nearby the fireplace. He approached the other man he was talking to; the one named 'Shido', and gave him one of the glasses. Shido accepted and responded to his question.

"Yes, the science of medicine, to be exact. Thank you." He was about to take a drink, when he asked. "And you, Lord Cain? What, pray tell, do you dabble in to pass your years?"

"'Pass my years'?" Cain answered with a question and a quick chuckle. Shido stared at him with a look of question, and then the blonde man answered again. "Over the years, Mr. Shido, I've not stayed long with one hobby, as I've quickly moved onto the next one. However, there is one thing that I do find the most enjoyment in, thus far. And that, my friend, is the thrill of a good hunt." Cain's graceful lips curled into a smile as he thought about his past 'hunts'. "The thrill of the hunt, such hedonistic pleasure I receive when I get that feeling when a man holds a life in his hands. The heartbeat of another creation of God, a life as bright as candlelight… Indeed that light is, at most, it's brightest when it is about to be snuffed out for eternity…" Cain took a deep breath and released a sigh of satisfaction, as if he had just returned from a hunt. "Nothing truly amazes me more than being in the presence of Death."

Shido stood in amazement as Cain recounted his feelings for his 'hobby'. "It's funny, really. You seem to have an infatuation with death, while I have an affinity for preserving life. We seem to be opposites, Lord Cain."

"Indeed we are, Mr. Shido… But I am a bit saddened. It seems my hospitality towards my guest is not satisfactory. You haven't touched your drink." Cain said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. He had already finished off his drink, and had hopped that Shido had done the same. Realizing this, Shido returned his focus onto the crimson fluid taking residence in the wine glass which he held. Taking a sip of from the glass, the 'wine' had a strange taste to it. It almost seemed… metallic… It couldn't be poison, could it? Cain had drunk some as well, and he seemed fine. Shido decided to pay less attention to it.

Seeing that Shido had finally taken a drink from the glass he had given him, Cain smiled slightly and approached Shido. His long, gilded locks slightly covering his eyes, Cain was a vision of dark beauty. If elegance could be deduced to a singularity of a human form, Cain would certainly be the definition of its personification. His golden eyes showed a sense of longing and searching as he closed the gap between himself and the man of Science. Shido was no slouch in appearances, either. However, rather than take in the whole of how beautiful he was, Shido was more conservative about his looks. His long, platinum hair tied in a loose pony-tail; Shido kept up with his appearance, but did not relish in it. Merely, he was making himself presentable for a man in that time-frame.

"Do you believe in vampires, Mr. Shido?" Cain suddenly asked. Taken by surprise, Shido reluctantly responded with, "Y-you mean the undead? Those who live off of the life-force of human life, correct?"

"Yes. The very same. But I didn't ask if you _knew of_ them. I want to know if you _believe in_ them." Cain continued to edge closer to Shido. Shido, feeling uneasy, slowly started to back away towards the door.

"Well…" he started, searched for an answer. "There have been some instances in medical science, where the theory of vampirism has been appar--"

"_Theory_!?!" Cain suddenly snapped at Shido, slamming his hand on the wall next to him. "Science is the one manufactured by _theories_! Why else would your precious medical science be called a 'practice' if it wasn't formed by theories!?" Cain's face was near inches away from Shido's. Shido could feel the heat of Cain's sudden anger and began to fear for his life. Cain continued on; his voice on the verge of being a whisper. "I could tell all you need to know and more about vampires, Mr. Shido…! I…" Realizing that he was instilling fear in his guest, Cain cleared his throat, back away from Shido, and calmed himself down. "… Forgive me. I am… quite sensitive about the subject."

"N-not at all, good sir!" Shido said, trying to hide his fear. The air between the two gentlemen calmed down a bit before either of the two said anything else. Shido felt it was time for him to go, when Cain suddenly asked, "What do you know about love, Mr. Shido?" His deep voice with a hint of seriousness penetrated Shido like a blade asking him such a serious question.

"Love… sir?"

"Yes… love. Love between two people. An unbiased display of affection from one person to another, be they man or woman. Love. Do… You… Know about it?" Without thinking about it, Cain advanced on Shido once again; this time, his aura about him was not that of intent to harm. His eyes were softer, forgiving, longing. Cain wanted something from Shido, and only he could give it to him.

"I… I know of love… in all of its forms, sir."

"Well, then… What would you think if I said '_I_ love you'… Mr. Shido?" He was within inches of Shido's face again. Searching for an answer to such a shocking question, Shido began to grope around for the doorknob. He was completely shocked and somewhat scared that this man that he barely knew was asking him such engaging questions, and acting in such a forceful manner. He had just found the doorknob when he felt something warm come across his lips. To his shock, Cain had placed his lips onto Shido's and was engaging in a light, but very surprising kiss. Thoughts raced through Shido's head at the speed of sound. Quickly turning the knob, Shido then opened the door and stepped outside of the room.

"I-I'm sorry, Lord Cain, but I must take my leave... I… I have business to attend to in the morrow." Shido hurriedly said.

"But of course, you do, Mr. Shido. I hope that you will forgive me of my 'shortcomings' tonight. I… do not usually act this way in the presence of guests." Cain said, still looking at Shido with eyes of longing.

"No, sir! Not at all! I… uh… I look forward to our next meeting together."

"Yes… together…" Cain's eyes narrowed. He had something in mind in the future.

"… Good night, Lord Cain." Not waiting for Cain to respond, Shido closed the door behind him, and made his way home. Cain watched him leave from a nearby window. Smiling while gazing at Shido making his retreat, Cain said aloud, "Perhaps it is time, I found myself a partner to share this dark world of mine…" As if to respond to his plans for their next meeting, a wolf began to howl from an unknown location as the night continued to sweep across the land.

-End-

A/N: Huh… This was an idea I had in my mind for the longest time. I love the series, Nightwalker, and the part where Shido and Cain spoiler spoiler spoiler didn't settle well with me (me not being a fan of Yaoi stuff), but I felt it was how it was supposed to be between the two. This was meant to be a one-shot story, but I might want to continue with this story. What do you think?


	2. Second Night

Disclaimer: The following characters mentioned in this fanfic do not belong to me. They are created by/belong to Ayana Itsuki, and the guys at TV Tokyo. If I did own them, I wouldn't have to be writing a fanfic about them.

--Love Eternal…? The Second Night--

A new night. A new location. A new encounter. Shido, with a somewhat uncertainty in his actions approached his next meeting place with his associate, Cain. The rendezvous point, this time, being an outdoor café on the main street. Shido still felt uneasy about meeting with Cain again. The strangely beautiful aristocrat that both intrigued and frightened him at the same time with his "antics" from their previous meet was going to meet with him once more. Arriving at an empty table, Shido noticed that Cain was absent from their meeting place. "He's not here…?" Shido said with a sigh of relief.

He sat down at the table, and ordered a cup of tea. Sipping it slightly, Shido noticed a table across from him housed a group of giggling women dressed in evening gowns. Their fits of laughter seemed to increase as Shido looked more towards their direction, smiled and waved at them. '_I don't think even Science could tell me what goes on within a woman's mind_…' thought Shido. He returned to his cup of tea when he noticed that the women at the table suddenly stopped their constant giggling. Curious as to why the group of women have instantly become silent, Shido noticed the looks on their faces. They seemed awe-struck, as if they were in a sort of trance. Their eyes were alert, but their souls seemed distant.

'_What could it be that would have them so distracted_?' he thought. Shido quickly scanned the area to find the source of their distraction. It was then that Shido, himself, was also put under the same trance that the ladies were in. Not too far off down the street, Cain could be seeing walking in solitude, the moonlight shining brightly on his person. A smile crept across his face, as his eyes met with Shido's, Shido still entranced by Cain's very presence. To Cain, the world was his playground, and he was merely taking a stroll.

"Ah, Mr. Shido, I am so glad you decided to accept my invitation this evening." Cain said as he bowed slightly in Shido's direction. His deep voice bellowed once again from within his throat as he spoke. It echoed over the region and seemed to enhance the effects of the trance. The ladies at the table nearly lost themselves as Cain spoke; and if one took notice, Cain seemed to enjoy the extra attention. Shido, however, was still deeply within the trance-like state. Concerned, Cain spoke up, "Mr. Shido?"

"Ah! Err… Y-yes. Good evening, Lord Cain." Shido stood up immediately.

"I was just saying that it is a pleasure to see you again." Cain smiled again as Shido returned to "normal".

"A-always a pleasure to meet you again, Lord Cain." Shido tried to suppress any thoughts of nervousness since yesterday, but he still couldn't shake from his memory the kiss from their previous time together. The image was forever etched into his mind.

"Ah, but the pleasure will soon be mine, Mr. Shido…" Cain said, hinting at a hidden agenda. "Come, I have something I must show you tonight…"

"Are you going to show me some of the game you've caught, Lord Cain?" Shido asked. Now that he mentioned it, Shido never saw any of Cain's prizes on display the previous evening. Did he not proudly show off his catches?

"On the contrary; we are _going_ on a hunt. Over the years, I've hunted alone; but hunting by yourself can become quite boring… Double the effort, double the fun, am I right?" As they continued their conversation, they left the outdoor café, and strolled down the street. Cain was leading the way. Talking as they walked, they continued upon the subject of hunting. It had been revealed that Shido did not approve of hunting himself, though he acknowledged that it took great skill for such a sport. Cain went on an on about how difficult each hunt was, but with each hunt he went into detail about, he would always evade in saying what it was that he was hunting

After walking and talking for what seemed like an hour, they'd finally arrived at Cain's favorite hunting grounds. "But… but this is a Nunnery. Lord Cain, what game would we possibly find here on such holy ground?" Shido asked thinking that most hunts took place in dense forests and woods. Cain merely smiled. "I don't think we're in the right place."

"Ah, but we are at the very source of our prey, Mr. Shido… Look there…!" Cain pointed towards the stone building they came to so as to show Shido what exactly it was that they were hunting. However, to Shido's somewhat disappointment, a young woman garbed in nun clothing came walking out of the building. Giving Cain a questionable look, Shido asked, "Don't tell me that you prey on young women, Lord Cain." Shido sighed.

This dark man of elegance was nothing more than a lecherous pervert that wanted nothing more than to try to have his way with any young woman that was unfortunate enough to get in his path. Shido looked to Cain for answers but found that Cain was no longer standing next to him. '_What the_…_? But I didn't even see him move_…' he thought. It was as if Cain had vanished into thin air. His eyes searched the area quickly to try and find his 'associate', but could not find him. Then he remembered the young woman.

Fixing his gaze onto her position, Shido saw that she had removed the veil of from her habit. It seemed she was still a 'nun-in-training'. She seemed quite content as she walked down the moon-lit path towards her home when a deep voice came from seemingly out-of-nowhere. "Such a beautiful maiden from the order of divine light. Do you not have a traveling companion during such dangerous times?" As if to give form to the ominous voice, Cain's body emerged from the darkness of an alleyway not too far from where the young woman stood. She jumped from the sudden appearance, but didn't run away. Wandering how Cain got there that fast in the first place, Shido got closer to the two, trying not to get caught for fear of being called an accomplice to this event. When he got within ear-shot, he could hear Cain's voice ask, "Are you not afraid, fair one?"

"I-I am not af-fraid, my lord. The p-power of God watches over me. Even now, my lord, his… divine protection keeps me safe," the young woman said, trying her best not to sound fearful. But Cain's laughter after hearing her excuse for not being afraid only debilitated her efforts to build her confidence. Shido recognized the look on her face. It was the same look he had on his face when Cain had snapped at him the night before.

"God's divine protection?" he chuckled as if it was a hilarious joke. "My dear, these days, the only protection that seems even somewhat effective is either a blade or a man who commands Death himself…" His eyes scanned her briefly, and he continued. "You seem to have only one of the two…" The woman grasped a small object inside a pouch tied to her waist. Cain laughed again. "Tell me; is it mandatory for nuns to be armed with standard-issue daggers?"

Both the woman and Shido were shocked. '_How could he have known? He must have incredible observation powers_!' Shido thought. Cain continued talking to the woman, but instead of closing in on her, he merely stayed his ground. '_Why does he not approach her? If he's going to do the deed, then just do it_!' A part of Shido didn't want to be here, but in the back of his mind, Shido couldn't tear himself away from the scene. It was as if he was staring at an accident scene. He should go for help, but his body forbade him to do so. Cain and the nun-in-training continued their conversation.

"S-so… if the power of the almighty nor my blade won't help me… Do you t-think you can… take his p-place?" Her grip on the pocketed dagger tightened.

"No, my lady. I do not wish to impede upon God's 'job'. I only wish to offer you guidance through the darkness." He extended his hand to her. "Come… won't you… let me be your guide?" Suddenly, Cain's golden eyes began to glow an eerie light, and the air around them seemed to become heavy. The nun's eyes drooped slightly, as if she'd lost her will, and her posture eased until she was in a relaxed stance. Almost as if she was being controlled. Cain spoke to her again, "Come to your guide…" As if in a trance, the woman acknowledged the command and began walking at a slow, yet steady pace towards Cain's position. Not believing what was unfolding before his eyes, Shido could only watch from a distance as Cain 'worked his magic' on the unsuspecting woman they'd just seen not minutes earlier. The next event that unfolded before Shido would forever change his opinion about Cain for the first time.

The young woman was finally within close proximity of Cain's tall figure. Opening his cape, as if to invite her in, a smile crept upon his face. The young woman then embraced Cain, her eyes still as soulless as ever. Turning her completely around, Cain bent over her small frame, slid the collar of her nun's habit down her shoulders slightly and, from what Shido could see, began to kiss her deeply along the side of her neck. '_What in the world…!? Where does he think he is!?_' As Cain 'kissed' her, the young woman's mouth opened and moans crept from her lips. As she moaned, Cain tightened his grip on her shoulder.

All this and more was creating a slightly erotic scene that was making Shido blush. Cain hadn't met the woman for 5 minutes, and he was close to taking her to his chambers for the remainder of the evening. After much deliberation, Shido stood up and shouted out from his hiding spot, "Lord Cain! Please think of where you are!" Cain looked up to see what the disturbance was, to find Shido with a look of horror on his face. Perhaps it was the trail of blood flowing down the side of his face, or the twin puncture wounds in the neck of the now lifeless body of the woman he held in his arms; whatever the obvious case may be, Shido now saw Cain for what he really is. _Nosferatu_… The living undead… Vampire… Knowing that he'd been found out, Cain let the limp body drop to the ground and approached Shido's position.

"Shido…" Cain called out to him, but he received the obvious results of his actions.

"S-stay away from me!" Stepping back, Shido nearly tripped over some nearby trash, but he quickly regained his footing. Thoughts raced through his mind as they did when Cain kissed him the preceding night, but the most apparent of thoughts formed in his mind above all others. '_Run_!' Turning on his heels, Shido immediately sprinted away from the scene, not caring if Cain pursued or not. Even if Cain did follow Shido, and caught up with him, what would he do to Shido? Would Cain claim Shido's life now that his 'secret' was out? Shido now knew what he was, though all laws of Science defied everything that Cain is. Perhaps the realm of Science was all a lie, or maybe it withheld the truth? The Supernatural wasn't supposed to exist, and yet Shido just witnessed an act of vampirism before his very eyes. What was he to do now, but run into the night? This running for his life was preventing him from thinking clearly. He needed a place to hide. Without thinking of a route, Shido's legs brought him to a place that many would deem sanctuary… An abandoned church.

From the looks of it, this church was a victim of a fire that claimed most of the holy structure. No matter. This place would have to do. Shido recounted that there were some legends that claimed vampires were fearful of the cross, and couldn't set foot onto holy ground. Hoping that the door was unlocked, Shido turned the knob, and to his surprise, the door opened to invite him inside. Rushing in, and closing the door behind him, Shido's heart began to race as he tried to formulate a plan of action. '_The door_!' Looking around, Shido searched for something that he could barricade the door with. His eyes fell onto an empty pew. Mustering his strength, Shido pushed the bench against the door and looked for additional items to aid in the barricading. He found an ancient candelabra lying next to him. Picking it up, he jammed it in between the door handles. Checking the stability of his barricade and being satisfied with it, Shido then carried his tired body towards the front of the old church. At the front, a giant cross with Jesus crucified on it watched over the pulpit of the area. The roof was out above the statue, and the moonlight shone through, giving the statue and added effect of holiness. Shido fell to his knees before the statue and began to do something he hadn't done in a long time. With all his might, Shido began to pray.

"I know I haven't done this in a long time, but I beg of you with all sincerity, my Lord… Please… Please find it within your heart to spare me tonight! Offer me your divine protection just this once!"

"I wouldn't say my protection is _divine_, per say; but I do not have the intention of hurting you, my dear Shido." To Shido's amazement, and disappointment, Cain's ominous voice appeared from seeming out-of-nowhere just as it did earlier. However, instead of rematerializing from some dark area, Cain descended into the church through the hole in the roof as if he was a dark angel coming down from on high to deliver punishment. Shido rose from his knees and retreated towards the door only to come to the horrible realization that he forgot one important detail. He barricaded the only known entranced to this building! He was trapped. Trapped with a demon of the night.

"I found you…" Cain said in a demonically playful tone as he slowly approached his new target.

-End-

A/N: Wow… this one's kinda long, huh? I was thinking about putting them into two different chapters, but then I started thinking, what if each chapter took place over the course of different nights? Perhaps that will be the way I write this story in the future… perhaps not… at either rate, sorry it took so long to update this story… ;;


	3. Rude Awakening

Disclaimer: The following characters mentioned in this fanfic do not belong to me. They are created by/belong to Ayana Itsuki, and the TV Tokyo fellas. If I did own them, I'd be a lot more popular with the ladies wink, wink.

--Love Eternal…? Rude Awakening--

"Y...you! But how did you find me!?" Shido's eyes widened in fear as Cain was in mid-descent. Cain merely smiled as he approached, his feet barely touching the floor as he approached the bewildered man of Science.

"My dear Shido, you and I are connected by fate… you can't escape from me forever…"

"B-but I ran from you as fast as my legs would carry me. I never saw you give chase…!"

"The greatest thieves in the world have a saying, Shido: 'The view is always better from the rooftops.'" Cain grinned, him remembering how he sought after Shido when he took off.

"Even so… This is a church! A holy sanctuary…! How is it that you are…? L-look, just stay away from me!" Shido was running out of options, and running room. He'd backed himself into a corner; he was trapped like a mouse in a cage, waiting for the cat to have his way.

"But I can't, Shido… I've waited for this moment for the longest time since I've met you… And now, you're mine for the taking… Now, let us walk together, towards the infinite darkness that awaits us both…!" Cain brought his hand up to Shido's cheek, and brought his face closer to Shido's. His eyes emitted an amber-colored glow as they did before. Shido tried his best to prevent Cain from doing as he pleaded, but to no avail. He just couldn't bring himself to move an inch to resist. The air around them began to become heavy, and Shido found himself loosing the will to struggle. It was as if his body had lost the fire inside to resist Cain's power. Shido, however, still had control over his voice.

"No… Please, stop this…! This is… I don't want this!"

"But I do."

"N-no! I… Stay away!"

And everything went black.

* * *

"Stay away!" his voice echoed through a dark and empty chamber. Shido awoke to find himself on a bed in an unfamiliar location. Gasping for air and feeling disoriented, Shido slowly got to his feet to get his bearings on his current surroundings. Feeling a chill about him, he started rubbing his arms to generate some warmth. Glancing around, he found himself in a dark room housed with a rather large four-poster bed, a desk with a candle and vanity mirror on it, and a single window. His suit jacket was on the edge of the bed, and his shirt was… unbuttoned? '_The time_...' How long had he been out? He glanced outside to take a peek at the time of day. To his surprise, the sun was just starting to rise. '_Good… its life-giving rays should help me warm up a bit_…' he thought, pulling back the curtains and opening the window. To his disappointment, the sun seemed to take it's time rising this morning. It struggled ever so slowly to rise over the distant trees as if it was reluctant to show itself. As if he was talking to a child, Shido said to the sun, "Come on, now. It's alright. Show me what you've got…" As if to respond, the sun obliged, but Shido soon found the sun's response to not be a pleasant one. 

The sun, finally realizing its role, rose over the treetops and shown its light on the world and Shido. Shido, welcoming its rays, opened his arms wide to receive its light; however, the Shido's body thought otherwise. Almost immediately after the sun's light shown on his body, Shido began to feel intense warmth on his body. That warmth soon turned to intense heat, and seeing smoke rise and the smell of his own burning flesh filling his nose, Shido screamed at the top of his lungs in pain and retreated in a corner farthest from the window, opposite to where the sun's rays shown. "Why…!? WHY DOES IT BURN!?" Pain like he'd never felt before shot through his entire being. Shido had never experienced such an ordeal in his entire life before. The very sun that he'd woken up to each morning had now shunned him and burned him. Trying his best to quell the pain long enough, Shido struggled to look towards the vanity mirror and saw a sight of which brought horror to his eyes.

His face, the palms of his hands, and his chest had been charred to the point beyond what medical science called "third degree burns". Patches of his skin were burnt black and cracked. His blood began to seep through the burn wounds in a sad and painful attempt to console him. But the next thing he saw would not settle well with him for as long as he lived. As he gazed at the charred horror that he'd become, upon closer inspection, Shido noticed that he could see one of the posts of the poster bed that was placed behind him. This wouldn't be much of a surprise, if it weren't for the fact that Shido saw the post was exactly behind where he stood in pain. His body was disappearing.

Looking down, Shido saw that his physical form was still intact. In fact, it didn't feel like he was disappearing, though he wished the pain from the burns would disappear. As if it was responding to his wish, Shido looked down at his palms and noticed something extremely odd. The burn wounds were disappearing, as was the pain that emitted from them. After a short while, Shido's chest and face began to heal as well; however, since he could not see his form in the vanity mirror across from him, he could only tell that he was healing due to the fact that the pain was subsiding incredibly fast. But how could he heal this fast? And without any medicine to aid in his healing? "What in god's name have I become…?"

Not knowing what else to do, Shido left the room in search of answers. As he browsed through the building, he came to the realization that the place he was in was actually the mansion that Cain had brought him to previously. Knowing that, he found that getting around was much easier. Still, he avoided rooms with open doors that had windows facing the sun, so getting around took a little longer than usual. Knowing where he was, he had to find someone who had an idea of what was happening to him. He had to find Cain, but looking around for a while, Shido noticed that Cain was not in any of the rooms. He wasn't in any of the bedrooms, nor was he in the large guest room where they had their first discussion. This was odd, considering that Shido believed Cain to be afflicted with the same weakness to sunlight as he was. Perhaps there were secret rooms that were kept hidden from the sun's now-harmful rays. Rooms that offered complete protection from the outside world. Shido began a new search for such rooms.

Remembering his old detective novels he read in the past, Shido remembered that the villain usually had some sort of secret compartment that led to his inner-lair. Most of the novels told of a book that was attached to a compartment that opened up a secret door. Since he was inside the guest room, Shido began grabbing random books off of the nearest shelf, hoping the next one would open up a secret door leading to Cain. "Which one is it…? Not this one… or that one…" Shido soon found himself standing with the last book in his hand. His search in vain, he threw the book in a random corner. Looking at where the book landed, Shido noticed a section of the wall that was a different color from the rest of the wall. Upon further inspection, the section of the wall was actually a small door. Cursing his luck, and his vision, Shido opened the door and found a hidden staircase that led further down into the bowels of the mansion.

The stairs themselves seemed to descend endlessly into a spiral underneath the earth. As he went further down, the temperature decreased, almost as if the very life surrounding the area had been sucked away; also, it began to grow darker and darker. After loosing count on how many steps he'd taken downward, Shido finally reached the bottom, and found himself in a large corridor-type hallway. Lacking any source of light, Shido began groping through the darkness as he made his way deeper down the hallway. He kept one hand on the wall to maintain his balance incase of tripping over some unknown object he'd be glad he didn't have the pleasure of seeing. Still, wandering aimlessly into the darkness was a bit troublesome for him, since he didn't have a torch or a lantern to light his way. Eventually he came to a circular room lined with torches and with a large coffin in the middle of it. Remembering vampire lore that the undead often slept inside coffins, Shido realized he had arrived to his destination.

Approaching the coffin, Shido examined it closely before attempting to open it. It was very ornate and outlandish, as if to reflect the personality of the entity that the casket housed inside. The coffin, itself, was a smooth black with a gold and silver trim. Golden handles were on each side, two to carry the coffin, two more to open the lid. In the center was a large golden cross with a ruby stud in its center. "Hmph… a coffin fit for a king…" Shido scoffed at its lavishness and grabbed the first set of golden handles. Opening the coffin, he looked inside to reveal its contents. However, to his surprise, the coffin was empty… in fact; it seemed as if it hadn't been used at all, save it being transported here. Hearing a grating noise from behind him, Shido turned around to find another coffin opening by itself. This one seemed rather plain compared to the one that Shido had opened. When the lid fell over, Shido saw a hand reach out to the outside world as it stretched from sleepiness. Then, following the hand, Cain's body rose out from within the coffin. His blonde hair covered his face from view as he exited his "bed". Standing up, he revealed the only thing he was wearing was a simple black silk robe and a smile that crept upon his face as his eyes found Shido.

"Still in a daze as always, aren't you Shido…?" he joked. No matter what he did, he always seemed to catch Shido off guard. Cain stepped outside of the rather plain-looking coffin and began to approach Shido, but it was Shido who made the first advancement. With a look of rage in his eyes, Shido walked towards Cain in a hurried fashion. As they got close enough, Shido grabbed Cain by his robe's collar and shoved him against the wall. "You monster! What in God's name have you done to me!?" Closing his eyes and sighing, Cain responded with, "Really, Shido. This overabundance of God in my previous conversations is starting to annoy--"

"Shut up! I woke up this morning in a strange room I've never been into before, and upon waking up, I tried to warm myself with the morning sun's rays. Do you know what happened next? The sun… it... burned me…! The sun that I wake up to ever morning to see my days through burned me! Now answer my question, what the hell have you done to me!?!"

"Shido you need to calm down, and stop arguing with my shadow, you look silly," Cain's voice, from an unknown location, said. After hearing this, Shido noticed the Cain that he was holding forcefully against the wall had evaporated away into the darkness of the hallway. Searching around, Shido found that Cain was standing over the coffin that Shido had found earlier. The top was closed, and Cain stood wearing his formal clothes. Nothing about Cain really surprised Shido at this point, so he skipped asking Cain where he got the clothes from. Seeing that Shido wanted answers, Cain took a deep breath, hopped off the coffin, walked towards Shido, and spoke.

"I know that you are confused about what is happening to you, my dear Shido. The sun burning you, you being unable to see your own reflection, and your ability to heal at an abnormal rate must all have you confused as to what you are; but know this, you are no longer what most would consider 'normal'. I have taken you from your regular life, and hurled you headfirst into the infinity of darkness that is my world. Shido, I have given you a gift. I have made you one with the darkness that the 'normal' world, the world of light fears. I have given you infinite power; I have given you infinite beauty; I have given you infinite life!"

"But at the cost of my humanity, you demon!" Shido spat in defiance. Hearing the remark, Cain stopped a foot away from Shido. Cain frowned and spoke up.

"… Your words pierce my heart like a dagger, Shido…" Cain raised his right index finger to his lips and lightly bit it. Allowing a drop of blood to fall from his finger, Cain's eyes lit up once again, and the trail of blood instantly formed a blood-red rapier complete with a hand guard on its hilt. Taking hold of the blade, Cain thrusted it at Shido's throat, stopping mere inches from piercing Shido's Adam's apple. "However, if you sass me again, you will have a painful time learning the extent of your healing abilities. My patience for you is great, Shido, but it is not boundless." Seeing Shido's surprised look, Cain replied, "… This is another ability you will learn during your years with me." Thinking about spending his years with this man did not bode well with Shido. "… Go ahead and kill me…! I'd rather die than spend the rest of my now unnatural life with you!"

Cain chuckled. "But Shido, I thought all doctors were fond of preserving life? … No matter." Cain's eyes stopped glowing, and the blade fell from his hand. Upon falling to the floor, the sword became a small pool of blood until it evaporated to nothingness. "I do not wish to kill the man that I love, Shido."

"Hmph, love… What do you know about love? You forced me into this… this… existence!"

"I did it so that I could be with you forever."

"I DON'T WANT FOREVER! I WANT MY LIFE BACK!"

"… I can't do that, Shido… the process is irreversi--"

"Don't say it! Just… don't say it…!" Shido's voice was shaking. Tears began streaming down his face as he knew what the horrible truth to his situation was. "I don't want to hear it...! Nothing is irreversible! I will find a way to escape this curse…!"

"And what do you think will help you in your search, Shido? Your precious Science!? Why can't you accept that there are some things Science cannot control!? Why can't you accept your fate? … Why won't you accept me…?"

"I'll never accept you…! As long as I draw breath, I'll never accept what you are, or what I've become! I will overcome this!" With that, Shido turned around, and ran down the dark hallway, leaving Cain with a slight look of sadness on his face. Deciding not to chase him, Cain walked over towards the elaborately decorated coffin and stroked one hand over it's top. "This was supposed to be our coffin, Shido… and it will be…! The thirst will drive you to me… and I will be there waiting for you…" Cain then, in an act completely out of his character, then brought his hand to his face and cried. "But why does it hurt so much whenever you leave me…?"

Meanwhile, Shido was making his way back up towards the ground level of the mansion. Thoughts of what he had become and how he might be able to deal with it zoomed through his mind. Not a single thought made sense to him. Once he finally made it to the door, Shido walked out into the main guest room to hear the sound of rain outside in the world he felt he was still apart of. Walking towards the entrance of the house, he looked out of the window next to the door to find that it was raining quite heavily outside. Despite that, Shido felt compelled to leave the mansion no matter what it took. He didn't care if the sun burned him out of existence, he had to leave. Flinging the door open, Shido ran out to welcome whatever it was that was waiting for him. To his surprise, Shido found himself still standing out in the cool rain. Though he was quite sure that it was daylight still, Shido hadn't bursted into flames as he did earlier that morning. Not putting too much thought into it, Shido then ran to the largest source of information he knew available to search for a cure for his condition: the library.

-End-

A/N: I must apologize about how long it took to update. I had written myself into a writer's block when I got to about half-way with this chapter. About the part when Shido finds Cain in the coffin keep of the mansion. I've noticed one thing… with each story I write, the chapters keep getting longer and longer… maybe I'll write a chapter that's 10 pages long! 00 lol. Just kidding. Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a review, and we'll see you in the next night.


	4. Nightbreed

Disclaimer: The following characters mentioned in this fanfic do not belong to me. They are created by/belong to Ayana Itsuki, and the TV Tokyo dudes. If I did own them, I might not have been so broke this Christmas.

--Love Eternal…? Nightbreed--

"It wasn't in that one, either… It must be somewhere…!"

Hours rolled by as Shido began his frantic search for the "cure" to his "condition". Even though he knew conventional science was not much help, Shido still perused through various medical dictionaries and encyclopedias to find some answers. Though some of the entries in the books came very close to what he might have considered a hint, they often missed the mark by going on about something entirely irrelevant, or saying that the only way out of his curse was through suicide. The rain outside poured down just as hard as it had done hours ago, but it did not distract Shido in any way from his search; however, he became increasingly frustrated with each book that he put away, the pages only leading him to dead-ends or u-turns. He had almost given up entirely when he heard footsteps coming from behind him. Turning around, Shido noticed it was the Librarian-in-charge. She was a young woman in her early twenties, and had long auburn hair. She wore a pair of glasses with no handles on them, and a simple light-blue dress. "Sir, are you able to find what you're looking for?"

Shido let out a sigh before saying, "I'm afraid not… and I don't think I'll be finding anything remotely close to it, either…" He closed and discarded another book, whose contents only failed him once more. The librarian shook her head slightly at the sight of the pile of discarded books that laid about Shido's sitting area. "What a shame, that such respectable books are to be treated in such a manner…" Realizing what she was talking about, Shido immediately got up and began straightening and organizing the books he had collected thus far… even though he was nowhere near the shelves the books belonged to. The librarian could only laugh at his efforts, though she knew he meant well. After organizing the books, Shido stood and said, "I'm truly sorry, Miss. I was… in a hurry.

"It's alright, Sir. I know you didn't mean to treat the books that way. It's not like you'll be arrested or anything," she joked.

"Ah, yes… You're right…" Shido felt stupid, tripping over himself in front of this woman. Even though he didn't look like it, Shido wasn't the type to flirt with women. He was about to speak up when the librarian asked, "Is there anything I can do to help you out?"

"No, I… that is… Ok, I'm going to ask you a very silly question, but please don't laugh." Shido waited for her to brace herself, and then asked her, "Do you have any serious books on… vampires?" Shido waited for the typical laughter followed by a 'Vampires? Are you mad? There are no such things as vampires' malarkey; however, to his amazement, the librarian looked at him with a straight face, and said, "Actually, we have an extensive section in the rear of the library that is specifically made to house books that cover topics of the occult. If you like, I could show you to it."

Shido's face lit up. "Th-that would be wonderful! Thank you very much!"

"Oh, and don't worry about those books there, I'll take care of them later."

"Oh, you don't have to. I mean, I took them down, I should be the one to put them back, right?"

"No, sir, it's no trouble at all. It is my job, after all. Please, this way." With that, she began to lead Shido deeper into the library.

The library that Shido chose was the largest he had ever known, so it was rather large in size and volume, it taking up more than 3 blocks of the city. As they walked deeper into the library, Shido lost his way as the halls lined with books seemed to form a maze the deeper they got. It was like they took a detour from their original path, and had somehow wandered into a labyrinth from which few have found the exit. Shido began to worry as he had already given up on finding the pathway back, but the librarian ahead kept her normal pace as if she knew exactly where they were going. 'No surprise, since she was the head librarian here.' Still, Shido began to wonder about their destination. As if to sense his question, the librarian spoke up without stopping to face him.

"You're probably wondering as to why our occult section is so secluded from the rest of the library, aren't you sir?"

"Why… yes, actually. I was wondering why it was kept so deep into this facility…"

"Well, that's because our occult section is rather… unique. We house the most unusual of the unusual, and over half of our books cover topics that are considered 'taboo' in regions across the world. Perhaps there is some information that the world was not meant to discover…" she sighed after saying the last statement. Shido, meanwhile, began pondering about what kind of books deserved such protection from people who would not want them read. The librarian continued. "Still, this library was founded to house books, no matter what their contents, so that someone somewhere may find whatever it is that they need to read about. 'Come Heaven or Hellfire, if it's written in a book, we'll be sure to take a look!'… That was our founder's motto when he first started this library…" The librarian's voice seemed happier when she mentioned the library's founder.

"I see… It seems this library, and its founder has quite some history behind them…"

"Oh yes. This library was in danger of being burned down 3 times, and our founder was found dead shortly after the library was expanded the third time, but yes, it has quite a history behind it… Ah, here we are." They soon found themselves standing in front of what was perceived as the 'Occult Section'; however, it seemed as if they were standing in front of the entrance to a dungeon. In front of them stood two large wooden doors with unusual impressions of various skulls on the borders of it. Lighting up the doors were twin torches that hung from the walls. It was an eerie entrance for a place that was inside a library, but then again, the librarian did mention that there were some books not meant to be read by human eyes. The librarian unhooked a ring of keys from her side and unlocked the doors leading inside. She grabbed the torches, handed one to Shido, and the two continued inside. Occult was definitely the word to use for this dark place. Nearly all of the books here were either one or two of two things: black or so old that it might fall apart in your hands the second you touched it. Still, the collection of books was very impressive. There seemed to be a book about nearly everything that was 'taboo' in this world. Out of nowhere, the Librarian spoke up, "You know, vampires aren't the only things that this section covers… In fact, vampires are only a faction of the various Nightbreeds that may or may not exist in this world…"

"Night… breeds, miss?" Shido hadn't heard of such a class of creatures ever in his educational life.

"Oh, I'm sorry. 'Nightbreeds' are the various denizens of the night that people see, ranging from your various werewolves, to lesser demons, to vampires. So, this section has books on nearly all of the Nightbreeds that have already been witnessed by their survivors." The librarian explained calmly as if it was common knowledge.

"You seem to know a lot about the subject…"

"Actually, the Occult Section is my favorite section to browse through when I have some free time to myself," she said smiling. Shido only stared at her in disbelief as she told him. '_She actually **browses** through this section_… _at her **leisure**_!?!' "In fact, the main reason why I know so much about the Nightbreeds is because I often come here when I could. I guess I was more or less drawn to this place…" she said, as she stroked a few of the books on the shelves, recalling the many trips she made here. Meanwhile, Shido had found a cart and began loading books that interested him onto it. He soon had a small pile of texts and tomes that were to his liking. Then he and his female companion exited the dark and dreary place, and made their way back to the main section of the library.

After setting the books down back at his seating place, Shido sat down and thanked the librarian for her help. "I really appreciate you showing me to the Occult Section of the library Miss…?" He just realized he hadn't asked for her name. Perhaps the thought never crossed his mind until now. Sensing his question, she answered, "… Wilkins, sir. Heather Wilkins." She bowed and proceeded to take away the cart with the books that Shido had read previously. Before leaving, she added, "It was my pleasure to assist you Mr…"

"Shido, Miss Wilkins. My name is Shido--"

"That's alright. I don't need to know your full name, Mr. Shido," she interrupted. "I'm terrible with people's names, unless they're authors of books I've read. Well, I have to return these books to their shelves now. Excuse me…" and with that, she was gone with the cart of books she loaded up. '_A true librarian to the end_…' Shido thought as she left. Now it was time to get down to business. However, his reading habits had changed slightly. Instead of searching for a cure for his "condition", Shido had decided to educate himself as much as he could on the subject of Nightbreeds in general. If he happened to come across the cure, then he'd take that knowledge and apply it in the future. As Shido read, his knowledge of the world of darkness grew exponentially. Written down in each book, Shido saw various creatures and phenomenon drawn and written about in full detail in each of the books he read. Eventually he came across a book he found very useful. Inside it, the book told about each creature's strengths, weaknesses, how/what they feed upon, and general locations around the known world. This would be most useful indeed when it came time for Shido to sever his ties with Cain. What was especially useful was one line he read when he came across the section written about Vampires in the book.

"This is it…!" As if he had found the secret of life, Shido's face lit up with renewed energy as he read the next few lines. "Those who have been bitten by a vampire need not worry; for if some brave soul is strong enough to overpower and defeat the vampire of whose victims were turned into vampires themselves, the curse will be broken, and the victims will return to being normal human beings again. This information is also held true to those who have been 'turned' by the lupine Nightbreed known more commonly as the Werewolf." Shido had found what he was looking for. He continued reading.

"Though the vampire is susceptible to things such as Holy Water, a cross, Garlic, bodies of water, and sunlight; the most effective way to lead to their extermination is by hammering a stake through their heart. Many believe that since a vampire survives by drinking the blood of others, then if it will die if it does not have a heart to circulate that blood. This theory hasn't been proven, but the effects are most sound." Shido closed the book and laid back in the chair while taking a deep breath. Though the methods weren't very scientific, Shido had found a way to escape this fate he has been given. Now all he had to do was apply them, and he'd be rid of him forever.

Grabbing the book, Shido attempted to place it back in the cart, only to find that the book was somehow heavier than when he first picked it up. "That's odd…" Shido stood up to try and gain some leverage on the book, but only ended up stumbling and nearly falling to the floor. He wasn't sure why, but Shido was loosing his strength. Holding onto the chair for balance, Shido attempted to make his way to the nearest person he could find for assistance. Limping along the way, he began gasping and panting like a dog as he searched. His throat was as dry as a desert, and his vision was starting to blur. "I'm so thirsty…" Like a wounded animal, Shido wandered through the halls to find someone to help him. Anyone would do. Then, as if to answer his prayers, a familiar face showed up. It was Heather. She had just finished putting up all the books she had in her cart, when she happened upon Shido's disheveled form. "Mr. Shido? Mr. Shido! Are you alright?" She rushed over to him to help him up.

"Miss Wilkins…" Shido spoke weakly. He could barely speak at this point. His throat was so very dry, and it was torturing him.

"What are you still doing here? The library is closed. Didn't you hear everyone leaving?"

"I'm sorry… I didn't… notice…" Shido could feel himself slipping away. He needed something to restore his strength, and to wet his lips, but there wasn't anything to drink near where they were… or was there? Shido's eyes found Heather's, and he couldn't help but stare at her. For reasons he couldn't explain, Shido stared at her as intently as he could. He needed something from her… Something she had… Heather was beginning to worry about him staring at her so hard. That and their current situation was beginning to make her feel uneasy. Suddenly, she noticed a slight change in Shido's already unkempt appearance.

"Mr. Shido…? Your eyes… weren't they blue just a moment ago?"

-End-

A/N: Happy New Year, folks! Character development was the main focus of this chapter, as you can see. I didn't want poor ol' Shido to go wandering into Cain's little world without having at least _some_ knowledge about it. So, he's a little wiser now. Say, how about that Heather, huh? She seems like a nice person… Grin. Well, hope you enjoyed this chapter. We'll see you in the next one.


	5. Choice

Disclaimer: The following characters mentioned in this fanfic do not belong to me (With an exception of Heather and Camilla). They are created by/belong to Ayana Itsuki, and the TV Tokyo homies. If I did own them, then maybe I'd be invited to a few anime cons.

--Love Eternal…? Choice--

The rain outside can do many things… It can heal, it can clean things away, and it can give life to all as it cools the earth; but for Shido, the rain was a remainder that his life no longer had a place in the world of light. Huddled over in a darkened alley, Shido felt very sick; and yet, his body was filled with a certain feeling of 'balance'. Even though his body was considered fine, Shido's mind was highly unstable. The blood on his lips began to dry as he gasped for air, horrified with the past events that replayed themselves as if they were a silent film. Shido could do nothing more but watch… over and over again…

---------------------------

"Mr. Shido…? Your eyes… weren't they blue just a moment ago?" Heather blinked to confirm if his eyes had indeed changed colors.

"Run…" Shido muttered through clenched teeth, as if the word pained him to speak it.

"I-I don't understand…" said Heather, confused about what the message meant.

"… Run… away…!" Shido managed to say in between gasps; but even though he gave her an order to escape, his body said otherwise. His hands tightened a grip on Heather's shoulders to the point where she was in pain. Something wasn't right, and both Shido and Heather now understood that, though neither new the reason why. Heather began struggling violently to break from Shido's grip, but only managed to free one of her arms. Shido, his body desperate for something that only Heather could give him, would not give up easily as he stood to gain leverage against Heather, still tugging on the arm he held in his hand tightly. Heather, now fearful of the man that she had met only hours ago, started kicking to try and get herself free. She then reached for the nearest weapon closest to her, a book, and flung it at Shido. The spine of the tome hit him square on the nose. Reeling in pain, Shido let go of Heather, and she took off. Not knowing what he needed from her, Shido gave chase, but the chase didn't last long…

The next event was a series of flashes in Shido's mind. The horror in Heather's eyes when he caught up with her; the sound of her clothes ripping; the blood-curdling screams that went unheard as he bit savagely into her neck; the taste of human flesh and blood as he fed on her life's fluids; the deafening echo of the sound of her lifeless body hitting the carpeted floor… They were as vivid now as they were back then… Shido had become a killer. Worse yet, he had confirmed now that it was now impossible for him to return to his normal life. He had taken a human life and it was his body that did the deed, whether it was by his own means or not. He was no longer human, and the only thing to witness it all was the rain that fell from the skies.

"I can no longer turn back to the way I was… Even if I break free of this curse, I'm still a murderer… I can't stay here."

Shido picked himself up, and wandered around the alleyways of the streets. Though nobody even saw what he committed, he felt as if, somehow, everyone knew. Any few people that he did see on the streets, Shido felt like they were staring at him with intent to capture and kill him out of revenge for Heather. His paranoia was enough to give him a heart attack, though he felt, theoretically, he wouldn't die from one. For hours on end, he wandered and wandered with no destination in mind; and at the same time, he tried his best to avoid the public's eyes. As he wandered, the rain stopped raining here and there to allow enough sun to view the earth once more, only to have the skies darkened by rain clouds yet again. This made it a little harder for Shido to move around. All of this 'moving around' brought questions into his mind. Oddly enough, he found himself answering these questions aloud. If there were anyone around him, they'd give him a questionable look, assumed he was mad, and continued on with their lives.

Of these questions, the one Shido pondered the most was, "Where do I go from here?" He couldn't go back home, for fear of turning on his family; and he certainly didn't want to go back to where "He" was. Shido's 'will' wouldn't allow him to go back there. If Shido returned, it would only give "Him" more power. It'd only show "Him" and Shido that "He" was correct all along, and that Shido was only wasting his time. "No… I won't go back to him… I won't… I… I… I don't have anywhere else to go…" Shido sadly realized. The gravity of the situation was too great for him, and his spirit was breaking. It would be only a matter of time before he was completely broken.

----------------------

The sun had finally fallen, and the skies had finally cleared up to give the world a clear view of the moon. The moon shined brilliantly over the town. It was as if it was a beacon for all the creatures of the night to come out from hiding… all except for a certain fair-haired vampire... Cain stood at a window that faced the town his mansion watched over. As he scanned the horizon, he said aloud, "He hasn't returned yet… Why doesn't he return…?" It seemed his plan to convert Shido had failed. Instead of bringing Shido closer to him, he forced Shido even further away. Cain did admit his plan in the beginning was a little half-baked, but what can you do when you're desperate for an equal for over a few centuries?

As he gazed outside, he told himself that his plan was indeed working; but the back of his mind told him his plan had gone awry the second he 'turned' Shido without Shido's permission. Was it because of his lack of patience that Shido distances himself so? Was he being too forceful in bringing Shido into his world? Clenching a fist, Cain shook away the doubt in his mind, and retreated from the window. As he walked through the empty halls, his footsteps echoing as he walked, Cain heard a sultry feminine voice from all over. "Lord Cain, is there something troubling you?" From the shadows, a pale, red-headed woman appeared behind Cain. The woman was dressed in a black dress with a black and red corset. Her hair was tied in a French braid, and her arms were covered in long black fingerless gloves with web designs all over them. Cain stopped and sighed. "So it is you, Camilla. What is it that you want?" He was not in the mood for whatever she had in mind.

"My lord, I only wish to know what troubles you this evening. It is a beautiful moon-lit night, and yet you're still inside the mansion," the woman known as Camilla said. Her voice had a hint of childish-ness in it.

"Nothing is bothering me, but I thank you for your concern." Cain said, brushing her off.

"Hmph." Camilla would not quit without a fight. Her eyes flashed a familiar yellow light, and her body dematerialized into a bed of black roses. The roses then swirled in front of Cain, and rematerialized back into Camilla's frame. "My dear lord, you're untruthful." She giggled. "I've known you for 200 years. I can tell when you lie. Come on, what's wrong? You can tell me anything…" She pressed herself against him, and slowly brought her face up to his.

Cain slowly raised his left hand, and placed it onto the slight curvature of Camilla's cleavage. Her body tingled as she felt his touch, but her slight pleasure soon turned to pain as she felt the sting of miniature blades piercing her chest. Her eyes widened as she looked down to find Cain stabbing her with his elongated fingernails. Cain, as stone-faced as he was when she first appeared then said, "Whatever my affairs are, they are mine and my business alone! If you feel so inclined to keep pestering me, then I will rip out this heart of yours with my bare hands!"

As he said this, he slowly began twisting his hand to increase the pain, but being careful not to pierce the heart or its arteries. "Now leave my presence, or die by my hands, slut!" Cain's eyes flashed yellow as he exerted a small shockwave to slam Camilla hard against the wall, off of his nails. His nails retracted back to their normal length, and seeing that his message got across to her, Cain continued walking down the echoing hallway. Camilla, not amused by her master's reaction, could only stand there in seething hate as her wounds began to heal themselves. "Why won't you love me the way you did back in Spain…? Why…!?"

------------------------

It had been hours since Shido had begun roaming the streets for a place to call his new "home". Blindingly wandering around, his guilt brought him to a cemetery. It was past midnight, and in the distance, Shido could hear the sound of police whistles blowing. "… Someone has found my sin, and has reported it to the authorities…" He was definitely not going to be able to rest easy now. Opening the rusty gate to the graveyard, Shido stumbled inside to try and find a place to hide. The distant sound of whistles and barking dogs made Shido feel even more uneasy as they drew closer. He needed a hiding spot, and fast. Spotting a mausoleum, he ducked inside without a second thought, quickly closing the heavy door behind him. After getting inside did he just realize where he hid. The inside of the mausoleum was covered in spider webs, dust, and darkness. Two unlit torches hung on opposite walls inside the structure. The only other creatures inside the stone building were the rats, spiders, and whoever it was that was inside the coffin in the space Shido now occupied. It seemed that death would be around Shido from now on. It was just too hard for him to accept it. He hoped this whole mess he was in would blow over in the morning, and sat on the coffin to rest his tired frame.

"Sorry about this, but you're the only comfortable thing in this room…" he apologized to the corpse lying within its tomb. Shido didn't expect it to say 'no problem', and continued talking to nobody in particular. "You know, it's funny… I've always considered myself a pretty normal person. I wasn't too handsome, or too ugly… I was just me. I was just normal, every-day-Shido, living a normal, every-day-life… until I met "him". Now I find myself doing these unspeakable things… I'm changing, and I don't want to. I was fine with the way I was… but then he… he… I just want to be normal again… I want everything to go back to the way things were. Is that so hard to ask?"

"There are many things in this world that we ask for, Stranger; however, there comes a time when we don't deserve them until we've earned them," came an scratchy and gruff voice from inside the room.

"Yes, yes… I have thought about if I've earned my right to be what I used to be, but I just can't…" Shido's eyes widened as he just realized he heard a voice not of his own inside the mausoleum. Fearing the corpse was talking, Shido jumped off the coffin and backed himself into the door. Searching for the handle, he was ready to vacate the area when the voice spoke up.

"You might not be wanting to leave just yet, Stranger… The night… 'Tis full of excitement, danger, and policeman's dogs. If I was someone who was in a panic, I'd think it be best to stay in a hiding spot 'till everything cooled off outside, mind you." Shido interpreted this as a warning, and stopped his hurried escape. Still, it would be nice if he could see where the voice was coming from. Having calmed down, he determined the voice was too clear to be coming from the coffin. '_It's too dark to see anything. If only I could see better_…' he thought. His body reacted to his thoughts, and his eyes began to glow. Near-instantly, the room was as visible to him as if it were lit by 1,000 candles. Searching the room, he saw a short, scruffy-looking man in the corner sitting in a small chair. "Who are you, old man? And… why are you in this mausoleum, the place for the dead to sleep?"

"I could be asking the same questions to you, Stranger…" he chuckled a bit, which was followed by a hacking cough. Clearing his throat, he continued. "… but I've learned it best to not meddle into other folks affairs. Leaves my heart a little less heavy, if you know what I mean. As for whom I am, I'm the grave digger of this cemetery you're in; and why I'm here, well… I always come here whenever I need a chance to rest… and drink," he said, waving a small brown bottle in his hand. "Care for some?"

"… Sure. After what I've gone through, I need a drink." Shido wasn't much of a drinker, but after what's happened, he needed something hard to drink. He approached the man, sniffed the bottle, and took a swig of the unknown alcohol; however, just as he swallowed it, Shido felt incredibly sick, and spat it up. The grave digger thought it was hilarious and said, "What's wrong, son? Is it too strong for you?" Shido could only reply with a small "Yes…" and gave the bottle back to him, coughing in the process. What was strange was that it wasn't the alcohol content in the drink that made Shido spit it out, but rather that his entire body had rejected it… possibly before the bottle had reached his lips. It was yet another sign that he was changing. Shido never did like the fact that he was changing, and every new thing about him that he found out didn't make him any happier.

Taking another swig from the bottle, the grave digger asked, "Now I know I just said I don't like to meddle in other folk's affairs; but why aren't you in a warm bed instead of this cold and rat-infested place? Don't you have someplace or someone to go to?"

"… Actually, I do have someone to go to… or at least, the option is there…" Shido replied after scoffing at his own answer.

"Then what the hell're you doing here? I mean, if you have someplace to go, then why not take advantage of it? S'much better than living the rest of your life on the streets…"

"But that person has wronged me in the past! I will not go back there…!"

"So? Let by-gone's be by-gone's. I'm sure you two can make up for what happened. And whoever it was that did you wrong will probably be willing to take you in, still. Hell, they might be worried sick about you."

'_Cain is… worried about me? Could he really_…?' Shido weighed his options before him. On one hand, he had a chance to reclaim his humanity, but he was still a murderer. If he wasn't found by the police, he'd still have the guilt with him. One the other hand, there was a place waiting for him that was willing to take him in. Give him shelter, and a place to sleep when he needed it... but he'd be living with Cain…

After a while, the grave digger placed a hand next to his ear and said, "Sounds like the noise outside's calmed down…" Taking that as a good sign to leave, Shido then opened the door and confirmed it was true. "You leaving, Stranger?" the grave digger asked him.

"Yes… I've decided that… I'm going 'home'." With that, Shido bowed slightly to the grave digger, exited the mausoleum, and closed the door behind him.

-End-

A/N: Hello again! First of all, sorry it took so long to post this. College work and a job can really take up your time pretty easily sometimes… Second, thanks for reading this so far. I'm surprised that I've written this many pages. I hope you like what you've read so far, and I hope you'll enjoy the chapters in the future. Thanks again, and we'll see you in the next chapter.


	6. A Proper Vampire

Disclaimer: The following characters mentioned in this fanfic do not belong to me (With an exception of Heather, Rosa, and Camilla). They are created by/belong to Ayana Itsuki, and the TV Tokyo d00ds. If I did, then it wouldn't take me as long to update next time . !

--Love Eternal…? A Proper Vampire--

Nervousness… It rushed through Shido's mind like torrents of rain as he stood at the door he thought he'd never want to see again. He couldn't help but feel nervous about knocking on the door, despite him having visited this place on more than one occasion. How could he not be nervous? He was offered a chance to live with someone who would accept him for what he is now, but he discarded that chance like it was a piece of rotted trash. Shido strongly believed Cain would never accept him now, not with the way he treated Cain's hospitality… Hospitality… The concept of that word seemed so warped now, as if it had all but lost its meaning. Feeling his mind wander off topic, Shido shock his head to focus on the 'problem' at hand. The longer Shido hesitated to open the door the more he felt unsure about coming here in the first place. Still, there weren't times when he hadn't felt this humble; there was no sense in him not lowering his pride even further than he already had, was there? Taking a deep breath, Shido grasped the large knocker that hung from the door and knocked. The sound of iron on wood echoed both outside and inside from where Shido was standing, but Shido didn't hear a response.

'_Is he not here? I'm sure he'd be waiting for me_…_ or maybe I was right in thinking he rejected me as I rejected him_…' he thought. Shido's spirit sunk as he tried knocking again and again only to receive no answer each time. He half-hoped that Cain would rush faster and faster to the door to welcome him each time he knocked; and yet, he was only greeted by silence. So that was it. Shido officially had no place in this world. He was a lonely, uneducated vampire stuck in a newfound world of darkness, and there was now not a single soul that would help him. Shido feared he would be forced to live off the streets from now on as he turned and walked away from the door, when he heard a sudden creak coming from behind him. Whirling around, he saw the door opening slowly. Expecting that he'd be greeted by a deep voice and long golden hair, Shido entered the mansion only to find that there was no greeter at the door. Closing the door behind him, Shido peered into the darkness to see if it was Cain playing a trick on him, but found nobody in the shadows. Still, he entered; as if he was assured he had permission to enter the building… or so he thought.

Shido thought he could look through the darkness just as he did inside the mausoleum, but found that he couldn't bring forth that power; so instead, he grabbed the nearest lit candelabra. Walking around, he assumed that Cain would be in one of the rooms, as if he hadn't gotten news of Shido's return; and yet, each room he searched in was completely empty. Then, remembering that Cain slept underground, Shido headed towards the guest room that held the entranceway to the lower levels of the manor. It was then that he heard the ominous chuckle of two women from out of the darkness that surrounded him.

"Well, well… What do we have here, dear sister?"

"It seems a mouse has found its way into our home, Rosa…" The first of the two voices sounded younger than the second, yet they both sounded equally alluring. However, as seductive as they had sounded, it did not set Shido's heart at ease. "Who… who's there!? Who are you!?"

"A question we should be asking you, little mouse," said the older voice.

With a swirl of black and red rose petals, the sultry voices were given form. Where the rose petals had been, stood two young, red-haired, snow-white-skinned women. Each wore an identical outfit of a black dress with a black and red corset. Yet the taller of the two wore her hair in a French braid and long black fingerless gloves, while the shorter wore her hair in two ponytails, and detached black and red sleeves on her arms. As they stood there, they giggled while sizing up Shido, who stood frozen in place. '_Who are these women, and why are they in Cain's mansion?_' As if to answer his first question, the two women, spoke up, "My name is Camilla," said the eldest. "And I am her twin sister, Rosa," her younger sister said with a playful curtsey. "Now that we have introduced ourselves, would our intruder like to introduce himself, as well?"

"M-my name is Shido," he responded, feeling the shakiness in his own voice. Not wanting to let the two mysterious women scare him, Shido attempted to embolden himself, and asked, "Why are you two in this manor? Do you not know of the lord that resides here?"

"Oh! You mean Lord Cain!? Of course we know of him!" Rosa said, cheerily. Her eyes changed as she added, "We've _**known of him**_ every night since we first met." She licked her lips, recounting the times she's _**known**_ Cain alongside her sister. "He can be very… _**memorable**_ at times." Shido blushed at the obviously suggestive remarks, him still being a virgin.

"S-so, that means… you two have been…?"

"No need to stammer, little mouse. Eternity can be boring sometimes, so you end up finding things to pass the time. My sister and I have shared everything since birth… including our meals." Camilla's eyes flashed a yellow light and grinned at Shido as her fangs began to grow longer.

Shido's eyes widened when he noticed the two women before him were vampires themselves. He didn't have much time to ponder what they were going to do with him, as he noticed each sister raising a finger to their lips, and biting it. Allowing the blood to drip from their hands, the two vampires formed blood-red whips in each other's hand. Shido noticed this as familiar, as Cain had demonstrated this technique before; however, before he could react, Shido found his neck and left arm fell victim to the grip of the whips the twins had made. On the other end, Camilla stood holding Shido in place, grinning the whole while. "Rosa, I'll let you have the first bite," she said, taking hold of her younger sister's whip.

"Why thank you, dear sister." Rosa smiled, and vanished from where she stood, only to materialize behind Shido. The whip's grip on his neck was so tight, he couldn't breath. Shido only half-hoped this would be over soon, for though he couldn't die conventionally, his lungs were still hurting for air. His heart raced as he could feel the hot breath of the younger sister upon his neck as she took the still lit candelabra in his right hand and whispered. "Don't worry… It always hurts the first time…!" With that, she opened her jaws, and was about to feast upon Shido's neck, when her fangs stopped just short of his flesh. Sensing something was wrong, Camilla asked, "What's wrong Rosa!? Why aren't you feeding?"

"This man… he smells of death…!" Rosa exclaimed.

"What did you say?" Camilla's grip on the whips loosened, and they released their hold on Shido's throat. Shido fell to his knees gasping for air as the whips then lost their form, turned into pools of blood, and evaporated away. Camilla walked over to Shido, knelt down, and sniffed around him a few times. This made Shido feel uncomfortable, like he was being analyzed by wild animals before their meal. Finally confirming her suspicions, Camilla looked at Shido and asked, "How long ago was it that you were 'turned'?" Shido looked up, and saw that her eyes had a sharp gaze to them. Not sure what made her upset, but not wanting to upset her even further, Shido replied, "You mean, when I became a… vampire? … About a couple of days ago…" His answer didn't make things better, as Camilla gazed harder at him. She asked him another question, "When you were 'turned', where did you find yourself when you woke up?"

"I-inside this mansion… in a room with a four-poster bed and vanity mir--" Before he could finish the sentence, Camilla grabbed Shido by the collar, forced him against the wall, and held him high above the floor. Her eyes glowed an intense red, her face became twisted with anger, and her voice took on a demonic tone. "Bastard! You're the one! You're the one that has taken him away from me!!" Shido struggled to get free from her grip, but found himself kicking hopelessly in the air.

"T-taken!? I have no idea what you're talking abou--"

"Silence!! I will not hear your lies! You were the one that Lord Cain has been yearning for these past few days instead of me! Admit it! It's entirely your fault he's all but forgotten about me! It's all your fault!!" Camilla's appearance had changed for the worst. The angrier she got, the tighter her grip got on Shido's collar, and the more twisted her face became. Shido feared she might snap his neck in two when she suddenly dropped Shido to the floor without warning. Gasping once again for air, Shido coughed and looked up to find Camilla with her hand raised, and her nails extended and sharpened to the point where they appeared as blades.

"I will set things right, once again! I will cut your heart out, and feast on it this evening, and take back Lord Cain! Your disgusting sight will never walk this earth again… Die!!" As she brought her hand down, Shido closed his eyes and waited for the pain to take him, but the pain never came. He opened his eyes to find that Cain stood in front of him, with Camilla's clawed hand in his tight grip. It seemed that while Camilla held Shido against the wall, Rosa had gone to tell Cain about the matter. Needless to say, his response to the situation was immediate. "Did I not tell you that my affairs are my business alone, Camilla?" Cain's deep voice filled the room, as it usually does. Camilla, having angered her master once again, reverted back to her original form and backed against the opposite wall where Shido sat doubled over. "I… I'm sorry my lord! Please forgive my insolence!" Camilla panicked.

"I've forgiven you once before, Camilla. I shall not this time. You spoke of removing this gentleman's heart, but you are poorly mistaken. For tonight, the only heart that shall be removed will be yours!" Cain raised his arm, and extended his nails, just as Camilla did. As he was about to carve into her chest, a scream came from a short while down the hallway, "Lord Cain, please don't!!" It was Rosa. Tears streamed from her eyes, as she laid witness to the events before her. "Please, spare my sister! She's not in her right frame of mind, my lord!"

"Dear Rosa, I cannot forgive her for such rudeness to our guests. If she is not punished, she will only repeat this act at a later time." Cain said coolly. His expression was as emotionless as stone.

"But she is my only sister, my lord! If you take her, I will be all alone in this world!"

"Hold your tongue! Did I not tell you that _**I**_ would be all that you needed in this life?" Cain was getting impatient, and this did not bode well for Camilla. "Have you forgotten how I took you two in, and gave you the gift of eternity?" Cain's razor sharp nails were mere inches away from Camilla's chest, and as his patience wore, his nails grew longer.

"Y-yes, my lord… B-but before you, I had only my sister… Before we happened upon your greatness, my sister and I only had each other! Please, Lord Cain, don't take her away from me! I beg of you!" Rosa had cried so much, that she soon wept tears of blood. Not knowing why, Shido could not help but feel sorry for Rosa, despite her nearly ending his afterlife just moments ago. "Please… please…"

"…" Cain's demeanor hadn't changed. To the outside world, he was only focused on piercing Camilla's heart, and showing it to her as she died. Then as if all seemed lost for the two sisters, Cain's nails retracted back to their normal state, and Cain backed off. Sensing the 'calm after the storm', Rosa rushed to her sister's side; crying while attempting to console her sister who nearly experienced her second death. While to two huddled against the wall, Cain turned towards Shido, knelt down, and offered a hand to help him up. "I'm sorry you had to witness that… I'm usually somewhat more merciful… Can you stand, my dear Shido?" Cain's face was completely different from before. He smiled as if nothing terrible had transpired mere moments ago.

"Y…yes… I think so…" Shido accepted Cain's hand, and was helped to his feet.

"Good… Gentlemen such as ourselves should not spend our time sprawled on the floor like some wounded animal. But you must be tired, what after going through what I assumed you've been through since your new birth." He snapped his fingers, and Rosa and Camilla looked towards their master. "Rosa, escort Shido to the baths and bathe him, then bring him to his chambers for the rest of the evening to rest."

"Yes my lord." Rosa stood and curtsied before her master's turned back as she received her orders.

"… And you, Camilla. Both you and Rosa shall have the honor of being Shido's new teachers, with you acting as his senior."

"What!?" exclaimed Shido and Camilla at the same time. "B-but why!?"

"Shido has only been introduced into our world for a mere day and a half. He's hardly been trained to use and control his new powers. There's nobody better to train him than you, my brightest pupil. Am I wrong?" Cain turned slightly to see her response. Only hearing her say 'yes' would not satisfy him.

Camilla looked away to search for an answer as to why Cain would even let her _near_ Shido after what she almost did. Was this her punishment? To be the caretaker of the one she hated most in this world? To act as teacher to one she'd rather tear to shreds with her teeth and then kill him? Maybe this was all some kind of game orchestrated by Cain for his amusement… Whatever the cause, she could not disobey him. Closing her eyes and standing very slowly, she bowed just as her sister did, and said, "… As you wish, my lord… I shall train Master Shido until he can be called a proper vampire…"

'_Master Shido?_' Shido thought, hearing the words enter his ears. For some reason, the phrase sounded pretty good to his ears. '_Master Shido - Proper Vampire_'. He had mixed feelings on having such a title.

Cain nodded, not sensing any defiance in her voice, and said, "Very good. Tomorrow will be a most stressing evening for you, Shido. You will soon find that we do not tolerate anything less than perfection in this house. Now leave me." The two sisters bowed, and turned to their assigned duties. Camilla returned to her room for the time being after glaring momentarily at Shido, while Rosa took hold of Shido's arm and escorted him to the baths. As the three left the area, leaving Cain behind, Cain could barely contain his happiness after seeing Shido's face once again. "He came back… He came back to me…"

---------------------------

Shido and Rosa walked down the dark and emptied hallways towards the baths as they were told. Their footsteps echoed throughout the halls as they walked. Looking down at her, Shido noticed that Rosa was smiling. Confused, he spoke up. "Excuse me, Miss… err…?" Looking up at him, she replied, "Rosa."

"Right. Miss Rosa. Forgive me for asking, but why are you smiling? You nearly lost your sister just moments ago. Shouldn't you be… I don't know… crying?"

"What ever for? My lord has sparred my dearest sister, and I couldn't ask for more of him. I know there are times when things get a bit… rough… but Lord Cain wouldn't truly destroy us… We were his first, my sister being the one he turned before me. He knows that the three of us are inseparable, he just tends to forget every once in a while…"

"I see…" They said nothing afterwards, and continued walking until they reached the baths. The inside didn't look like much. There were a few shelves, here and there, with some baskets, and a few towels. A giant mirror stood on the opposite side of the shelves, but seeing as they were vampires, nobody knew of the point of keeping it. Still, furniture is furniture, so it stayed. One thing seemed out of place, though. Looking around, Shido found there were no baths to bathe in. "Um… where are the…?"

"Outside, through those two doors, Master Shido; but you must first… undress." Rosa giggled, taking a better look at Shido. If she was to take care of him, she might as well have fun at the same time.

"Un… dr-dr… dr… dress?" Shido blushed as he did before, which only fueled Rosa's giggling fit even more. "In front of… you?"

"I'm here to bathe you as ordered, aren't I…? Master… Shido…?" Rosa approached him slowly. Her style of approach seemed very similar to Cain's, which Shido noticed. The only thing different was that Rosa was a woman, and was at least 3 feet shorter than Shido. But despite her small frame, she seemed very intimidating. "Do you need help undressing…? Master Shido?"

"Uh… er… No… I um… I am capable of… un-dr-dressing… myself… thank you…" he stammered uncontrollably.

Rosa grinned. "Very well. I shall prepare the water for you, and wait for you outside when you are done." Shido thanked her, and when he was sure she was gone, had undressed himself and proceeded through the two doors she pointed out earlier. Upon stepping outside, what he found was that he had literally stepped outside. The bath that the others talked about was a beautiful, outdoor, heated, Olympic-sized pool. Marble columns lined the length of the pool, and both ends stood two statues of water maidens pouring in the warm water for the pool. The site was truly amazing, but it made Shido think back to the book he read about vampires and Nightbreeds. He remembered reading something about the vampire being afraid of large bodies of water. But to think that there was a large pool of water in Cain's backyard really began to make Shido think about the information that he looked up. Was it all true, or was the truth only half-right? Shido decided to go with his gut instinct, and at least take a bath in the shallow-end of the pool. He knew he needed a bath in the worst way, anyway.

Stepping inside, the water felt warm. Hot even, to the point where it seemed like it was burning hot. But after adjusting to the heat, Shido started to relax, and let the steam rise up and cleanse his pores and allow the water to clean his body. The warm water on his skin felt great. It had been so long since he had taken a bath, and this was just what he needed. It almost seemed he was at peace with the world. Shido cupped his hands, and splashed some water in his face. It refreshed him even more. Lying against the wall of the pool, Shido looked across to see the reflection of the full moon on the surface of the pool's water. With all of the steam rising, the scene was a thing of beauty. "This feels nice…" Shido said with a sigh.

"Yes… doesn't it just feel so relaxing?" came a voice from behind him.

"Yes, it does feel relax… ing?" Shido stopped just before finishing the sentence to look up and find an unexpected beauty staring at him wearing nothing but a smile on her face. "M-m-miss Rosa!?" Shido leapt away from the wall, and turned to find Rosa standing at the edge of the pool. Remembering that she wasn't wearing a thing, he covered his eyes and asked, "What are you doing here!? I thought you said you were going to wait for me outside?"

"Outside at the bath, you silly boy." She giggled as she let herself into the pool. "Ooooh, I _**SO**_ love this bath water… It makes me feel so… Mmmph…" It seemed the only words she could say were all borderline-sexual to everyone else's ears, except hers. Shido, meanwhile stood a few feet away from her, blushed so hard that his entire body had turned as red as freshly spilt blood. Rosa only giggled even more at his coyness. Her eyes flashed a yellow glow and she disappeared in a bed of black petals. Uncovering his eyes a bit, Shido noticed that Rosa was gone. '_Had she left the bath? Was she just toying with me?_' Whatever it was, Shido was able to relax again, and he dropped his hands into the water. Taking a deep breath, Shido soon felt the feel of hands, among other things, caressing his body. Rosa hadn't left the pool at all, yet merely repositioned herself behind Shido.

"Now, now, Master Shido… You can't become clean by simply standing in the water. You need to scrub yourself… but Lord Cain has made that my job tonight… Now be a good boy, and let me 'clean' you… And if you are a good boy, I'll make you an even better _**man**_." She whispered in his ear and gently licked the side of his neck.

"Oh my…." Were the only words that could escape Shido's lips. Tomorrow was going to be the beginning of a grueling training session, but tonight was going to be something _**memorable**_…

-End-

A/N: Very sorry it took so long to update the story… again… Things got in the way, and I had to focus on them a bit more. So, am I following vampire lore as closely as possible? I did my research before starting this fanfic, but I'm not sure about the water thing. Anyone wanna tell me about that? Anyway, if you've got questions, comments, flames, etc. tell me all about them! Comment away! Thanks for reading, and we'll see you in the next chapter.


	7. Training

Disclaimer: The following characters mentioned in this fanfic do not belong to me (With an exception of Heather, Rosa, and Camilla). They are created by/belong to Ayana Itsuki, and the wonderful gentlemen at TV Tokyo. If I did own them, then I'd r0x0r j00r b0x0rz! (Please forgive me for the random l33t speak)

--Love Eternal…? Training--

The next few weeks to pass were grueling ones indeed for Shido. With his new associates giving him guidance and instruction in his new life, Shido was subject to various lessons and practice sessions to learn and perfect his new skills and abilities. As a newly-turned vampire, he had to first be accustomed to the fact that day and night was now completely switched for him. With an exception to rainy and cloudy days, Shido was often restricted to the confines of his newly-acquired home. Like a child, he often found himself restless during the day, and he'd wander around the manor aimlessly while everyone else was sound asleep inside their coffins. Coffins… he had to get accustomed to sleeping in those as well. Something about sharing the same sleeping quarters with someone who was to sleep forever didn't quite feel right to Shido; but considering that it didn't matter, since both the unnamed dead and Shido were no longer of the living, Shido ended up with mixed feelings about the matter, and usually just accepted it.

The other thing that Shido needed to assimilate into his new life was the most basic of basics that he would occasionally refuse to do… Drink the blood of a living human being, or any animal if the latter wasn't readily available. Shido often had a problem of drinking human's blood, even if it was "delivered" to him by one of the sisters. If Shido knew the blood came from somewhere other than a human, he could stomach it somewhat; otherwise, Shido would attempt to drink it, but would immediately refuse. Ever since his incident with Heather, Shido couldn't force himself to drink the blood of another human. He'd make up some kind of excuse for himself whenever the time came for him to drink, and the other vampires simply understood his wishes and said nothing more of the matter. Still, in the back of his mind, Shido new they thought otherwise, especially Camilla, who was his new teacher or 'keeper' as she saw things. Camilla always seemed to give Shido the same death glare whenever the two met in the hallway or during his lessons. He knew why, though he never thought of it as his fault; yet he figured it'd be best to not press the matter. She was already on the verge of killing him if she had the opportunity to do so. That's why Shido always dreaded when the time came for him to learn of his new methods of self-defense.

Every other day of the week, Shido would be escorted to the court yard of the mansion by Camilla, and she'd "teach" Shido how to arm and defend himself. With Camilla slurring her speeches when mentioning something important, and barking corrections at Shido whenever he messed up, Shido wasn't sure if he was even being instructed properly at all. Even when he did something right, Camilla hadn't acknowledge his efforts, and just claimed it was all based on luck. Shido half-believed her most of the time. Then came one night when Camilla mentioned that Cain would be overlooking this training session. Shido, already nervous that his teacher that was out for his afterlife was to be training him again, only compounded his nervousness knowing that Cain would be there to watch everything that happened. As they walked down the marble-laden walkway towards their usual training grounds, Camilla spoke in her usual manner: strict, often barking her orders like a drill-sergeant rather than an instructor, and always expecting perfection. "Today, we will be reviewing your self-defense training up to this point. Lord Cain will be watching, so if you pass out again, or trip over your own feet… again… I will remove your tongue and pour salt over the wound as it grows back! I will NOT have you embarrass me in front of Lord Cain. Is that clear?"

"Understood… you overbearing, sand-blasted hag…" He tried to hide the last part under his breath, but Camilla heard it and replied with a quick turn on her heels and a sharp, "What was that, mouse!?"

"I… um… nothing…" Shido looked away to hide his innocence.

"Nothing, what!?"

"Nothing… Mistress Camilla…"

"You listen to me, and listen well… A woman can't hear a mouse talk if all it does is squeak! If you have something to say to me, mouse, then at least act like a man and say it to my face!" she spat, not wanting to deal with any sass as she tried to mentally prepare herself for when they met up with Cain in the court yard. Shido resisted adding "with a face like that, I'm sure you'd be mistaken for a man…" and continued following Camilla to their training session.

Upon arriving, Cain was already there, just as she said. Rosa was also sitting on his lap, giggling like she usually does, and only stopped when Camilla cleared her throat to announce their arrival. Rosa then disappeared and reappeared in a chair next to Cain. Shido felt even more nervous, seeing that Rosa was here as well. Over the past few weeks, he and Rosa had been getting closer to each other as she taught him some of the basics of being a vampire; mainly in the arts of seduction. He hoped that he wouldn't mess up like Camilla mentioned earlier. "Hmmm… This should be interesting…" Cain said stroking his chin as Shido and Camilla assumed their positions a few yards across from each other. Camilla turned to face Cain, bowed, and said, "With your permission, Lord Cain, we will now commence with the demonstration." Cain nodded to show his approval and Camilla returned to her original position.

"First, the creation of weapons from one's blood…" She bit her finger, as she has done many times before and formed a whip out of the blood that dripped from it. The whip glowed softly in her hands as she gripped it firmly. "Now, demonstrate what you've learned, Shido." Cain cleared his voice, and Camilla corrected herself. "… Master Shido." Shido grinned slightly, and mimicked what his teacher did, only instead of forming a whip, his blood changed into a rather crude-looking, yet sturdy rapier. The light from Shido's eyes flickered a bit to show that he couldn't quite concentrate on the weapon's image in his mind, but he was still able to maintain the rapier's shape. Cain nodded, and the demonstration resumed.

"Shido, distance attack demonstration, commence!" barked Camilla. Shido nodded, and raised his opposite finger to his lips, and prepared to bite down. Camilla had already done so, and swung her arm in front of her. From her finger, flew drops of blood that turned into miniature darts. Not quite prepared for the darts to fly as fast as they had, Shido instead dodged them and waited for another attack; yet Camilla's arm hadn't lowered. Realizing what was happening, as she had done this before during a training session, Shido ducked just in time to see the same darts flying just inches over his head. "Lesson #11: A vampire's blood is theirs to control." Camilla said, as she mentally controlled the path of her darts. Now was the time for Shido to counter. Biting on his index finger, Shido swung his arm just as Camilla did, and drops of his blood flew to intercept the darts. His eyes glowing a little brighter, the drops of blood hardened, and knocked the darts out of the sky. Shido could hear Cain clapping his hands, and his spirits rose a bit, until he suddenly heard Camilla shout, "Close-range combat… commence!"

Turning back, Camilla had dashed towards Shido with her whip drawn. With a swing of her arm, the whip flew towards Shido's face, and in a sad attempt to deflect it, Shido held up his rapier to block it. It only ended up with Shido's rapier being entwined in Camilla's whip. _'I got her!'_ Shido thought, hoping that she'd do what she did. Using the force of Camilla's pull on her whip, Shido leapt at her, in an attempt to strike her; but Camilla was, admittedly, faster than him. With a twirl, Camilla dodged Shido's attack, and planted a swift roundhouse kick to the back of his head. Shido yelped in pain and fell to the ground holding the back of his head. "Lesson #13: Only a fool puts all of his trust in his weapons!" Camilla barked.

"Go, Camilla! Do your best, sister!" Rosa cheered from her seat. Camilla replied by showboating with her whip. Cain, not willing to show his excitement, sat and watched in silence. Shido got up, and tried to formulate a plan in his mind to try and catch his teacher off guard. Camilla, on the other hand, had launched another attack by latching onto his foot with her whip, knocking Shido on his back. He was looking pretty stupid right now as Camilla stood smiling at Shido's clumsiness, and waited for him to get up. Shido, thoroughly mad at his tutor, quickly got to his feet, and planted his sword in the ground. Biting both of his index fingers, Shido swung both of his arms to release a small flurry of "blood bullets" at Camilla, who thought of nothing of his attack. Quickly measuring the distance between each bullet, Camilla literally danced between each one, successfully avoiding the attack.

Looking at Shido's position, Camilla was surprised to find that Shido was no longer there. It didn't take long for her to find him, for she looked skyward to find Shido falling towards her with his sword ready to slash down upon her. Camilla, quick to respond, grabbed her whip in both hands and held it up to meet the blade. Then with a quick flicker of her eyes, the whip lost its form and quickly changed into twin short swords just in time to catch Shido's rapier.

"You senseless dolt…! You really haven't been paying attention… to your weapons training, have you…? Rapiers… are designed to stab… not slice!" Camilla pointed out while keeping Shido at bay. While she kept Shido off of her, Camilla stuck her tongue out at Shido. Shido, thinking it was an attempt to mock him even further, was only made even angrier; but his anger soon turned to surprise when she then bit her tongue, and with a short flash of her eyes, spat out another one of the blood darts she threw earlier towards Shido's face. Not having enough time to dodge, Shido had no choice but to prepare for a world of hurt.

"MY EYE!!!!" Shido's rapier immediately lost its form and he began rolling on the ground in agony, grabbing where Camilla's dart jammed into his eye. Rosa rushed over to Shido's aid as Camilla wiped the excess blood from her mouth, pretending that she did nothing wrong. "Master Shido! Master Shido, please calm down!" Rosa exclaimed. Shido only screamed even louder as Rosa tried her best to hold him down. Camilla walked over to where they were, and spoke calmly, "Lessons # 4 and 2: Anger blinds even the most fearless warrior… and expect the unexpected. Two lessons, I hope you will take more seriously in the future, Master Shido…" Shido shot her an angry look with his remaining eye, which Camilla just shrugged off. Rosa, on the other hand was doing her best to coax him into calming down, for only then would he be able to focus on healing.

To Shido's surprise, Cain hadn't come to his rescue as he did before. Did he not care, or did he just not want to take sides? Whatever it was, Cain sat still, watching the entire event silently. Eventually Shido's wound healed itself, and his eye was back to normal. Rosa checked if everything had healed properly and returned to her seat. Camilla sighed and said, "If you are through whining, I'd like to continue… Or is the mouse not done yet with making a fool of himself?"

"No!" Shido got to his feet, and clenched his fists. "We will continue…"

"… Very well, we shall continue, if not to entertain Lord Cain more than you've already had with your incompetence and lack of focus. Be grateful that you heal a lot faster than most vampires at your level." Shido could only think that she hoped otherwise. Slowing down his breathing, Shido calmed himself down a bit to focus on the fight. Camilla, now armed with her twin short swords, assumed a defensive stance. Now that her offensive capabilities had doubled, Shido needed to find a hole in her defense in order to strike.

'H_ow am I going to get her to drop her defenses long enough for me to attack? She's already more than capable of fending off my attacks… Maybe if I…_' Shido formulated a plan in his mind, though he wasn't sure if he'd pull it off. Taking a look up at the moon, Shido estimated when he'd be able to make his move, when he suddenly heard, "Lesson #1: NEVER take your eyes off your opponent!" He looked down long enough to see Camilla's whip flying towards him once again. Instinctively raising his hand to block the whip, Shido realized he hadn't reformed his rapier, and ended up having his hands bound by the whip. Camilla's hold on him was tight, and her next actions seemed more than obvious. Keeping Shido's arms bound with her whip in one hand, she slowly brought herself closer to Shido, while holding one of her swords in the other. She was obviously tired of being on the defensive seeing as Shido wasn't attacking.

Shido was running out of time, and needed to act fast. Looking over towards one of the marble pillars that was near him, Shido matched the times when Camilla would move, and slowly edged himself towards the pillar. As he reached the pillar's shadow, Camilla then stopped in her tracks, took hold of her sword, and aimed it at Shido. "Lesson #8: Make full use of your weapons whenever possible…!" As Camilla stated another one of her 'lessons', she flung her short sword towards Shido; and with a loud 'Snickt', the blade of her sword stood fast in the shadows where Shido had backed against the pillar. His silhouette stood there, pinned against it.

'_Idiot! Why didn't he dodge out of the way!?_' Camilla thought. She was only a few yards away, and he had plenty of time, but why hadn't he moved? She didn't have long to ponder about his actions when Shido's silhouette against the pillar disappeared leaving her sword poking out of the pillar, and she felt the sharp point of a blade poke her back. "Lesson #15, Camilla: Not everything is as it seems…" Shido stood behind Camilla with his rapier pointed at her with a smug look on his face like he had outsmarted the most intelligent man in history. Acknowledging his efforts, Camilla's weapons lost their forms, and she raised her arms in what seemed like defeat. Shido could hear Rosa clapping from the sidelines at his accomplishment. "So, you used your shadow as a distraction… I didn't teach you that one. It must have been my sister who taught you that skill… I applaud your resourcefulness, Master Shido; but there is one important lesson you've forgotten…"

"And what would that be? 'Lesson #2: Expect the unexpected?'" Shido mocked, believing he had the upper-hand in the situation.

"Not quite…" Camilla's hand lowered slightly to gain Shido's attention. Wanting her to stay still, Shido poke a bit deeper into her back with his rapier. Camilla then swiftly delivered a back kick to Shido's most precious family jewels. Overcome with pain, Shido fell to his knees and grabbed his crotch, giving Camilla enough time to twirl around, and perform a crescent kick to the back of Shido's head where his head met his neck. Shido fell to the ground immediately. As the world around Shido began to fade to black, he could barely hear Camilla say, "Lesson #3: The fight isn't over unless your opponent is either unconscious or dead..."

---------------------------

Shido awoke hours later to his shock to find himself in a coffin. '_What's going on!? Have I really died!? Did Camilla kill me to subside her rage against me!? … Wait… what am I thinking…? I'm already dead…_' Slapping himself for his stupidity, Shido opened up the coffin and sat up to find himself inside his room in the basement of the mansion. "Oh! You're awake!" He heard a familiar voice say in a corner of the room. It turned out to be Rosa, who sat in a chair, apparently glad to see Shido was well. Shido embarrassed about how his demonstration went, lowered his head. "I lost…"

"Yeah… you did. But don't feel too bad about it, though… My sister has had centuries of combat training supervised by Lord Cain himself, so it's no surprise that you lost…" Rosa said reassuringly. '_Is that supposed to make me feel better?_' Shido thought. "But I was surprised that you used the doppelganger technique I taught you so effectively. I could tell even my sister was surprised." Shido's spirit lifted a bit, knowing that he did have the upper-hand at some point.

"Well, I appreciate you bringing me here when I passed out…"

"Oh, it wasn't me who brought you here. Lord Cain insisted that he do so himself." Rosa said to his surprise. '_Cain did? So I guess he does care…_' Shido thought, not sure as to why he'd prefer Cain taking care of him rather than Rosa. "He even bathed you while you were asleep."

"… Bathed?"

"Yes, of course. We can't have you smelling like dried blood and grass, now can we?"

"I… suppose not…" Shido blushed at the thought of Cain cleaning his naked body. "I have lost a bit of blood haven't… haven't… I…?" Shido suddenly felt woozy, even though he was sitting in his coffin. The entire room seemed to be spinning around at mach speed, and it made Shido sick to his stomach. '_What's… happening…_?

Rosa had leapt from her chair to Shido's side. "Master Shido! Are you alright?"

The answer was obvious, but Shido responded with, "No… I feel ill… The room is spinning, and… my throat is dry… I'm so thirsty…" Shido gripped his throat and held his head as it pounded with pain. This same dryness in his throat was all too familiar to him, as Shido had felt this sensation as before. "Heather…" he said dryly.

'_Heather_…?' Rosa was confused as to who this 'Heather' person was, but assumed Shido was hallucinating, which meant she had to act fast. "Master Shido, you've avoided this lesson in the past, but I think it is now time for you to feed--" Shido immediately pushed her away with what little strength he had.

"NO! I won't! I won't re-live that moment…!" Shido suddenly shouted at Rosa. "If I do… if I do… I'll loose whatever humanity I have left…" As he grabbed his head in pain, Shido clenched his teeth. He knew he needed blood, any kind would do, but he wouldn't bring himself to do it. But his throat was so dry, he swore it would crack. "I won't do it!"

"Master Shido, you must! No matter what the action, everything in this world does whatever it must to survive! As vampires, we must drink the blood of others. I… I'll donate some of mine to help you, but you must--"

"I SAID I WON'T!!" Shido slammed his fist on the edge of the coffin. Tears began to stream down his eyes, as he tried his best to resist the urges that rushed through his body like a stampede. He said no, but his body was screaming yes with all of its might. Rosa tried her best to sympathize with him one more time: "Master Shido, I know what it's like… I too didn't want to drink blood when my sister and I first turned. I felt like I would change into something disgusting if I drank blood willingly… I felt that I would never learn to like what I've become; but I knew that I needed to survive. All things survive in one way or another… and… I want you to survive as well…"

Rosa placed her hand on Shido's head to help calm him down. Like a dog unsure of its new master, Shido jumped slightly when he felt her hand touch his head, but then calmed down a little. Like a master feeling sorry for its pet, Rosa lovingly stroked Shido's hair. After she was sure he'd calmed down a bit more, she brought Shido's head up. "Now, let me care for you, as my sister has cared for me…" Slowly bringing her hands to her back, she undid the strings to her corset and removed it as well as the top of her dress. "… Just think of it as being nurtured by your mother…" Shido's thirst had reached his limit, and with Rosa displayed in front of him with her clothing removed, he could no longer disregard the messages his body sent him. His eyes glowed with a soft amber light, and his fangs began to grow. Rosa brought Shido closer to her bosom, and cradled the back of his head. At first, he was reluctant to, but then Rosa whispered, "It's alright… this will be just between us…" and like a newborn, his instinct to feed took over. The room was filled with the sounds of Rosa gasping and moaning as she nurtured Shido back to normal health. But unaware to the two vampires, their lord and master watched silently in the shadows with a clenched fist against the wall…

-End-

A/N: An update! Yay! I had this one prepared earlier, but with little-to-no access to the internet, I found it a bit hard to submit this one… ; Hmmm… Shido and Rosa have gotten quite friendly, haven't they? Will that lead to Rosa's undoing, or will Cain allow someone else inside this already screwed up relationship? Is Cain willing to share? I'M NOT TELLING! LOL!!!11oneeleven1! But perhaps you guys can give suggestions? Maybe I'll implement them into the story… maybe I won't… As usual, you got questions, comments, or flames? Then COMMENT!! As always, thanks for reading, and we'll see you in the next chapter.


	8. Changes

Disclaimer: The following characters mentioned in this fanfic do not belong to me (With an exception of Heather, Rosa, and Camilla). They are created by/belong to Ayana Itsuki, and the fabulous folks at TV Tokyo. If I did, then (Insert random quote here)…

--Love Eternal…? Changes--

Since that night, things around the manor had begun to change. And just as sure as a lowly caterpillar changes into a beautiful butterfly, had Shido became a more capable vampire. No longer was he the timid child-like darkling wandering aimlessly in the world while his kinsmen slept and dined as they wished. Since his "session" with Rosa that night months ago, Shido's confidence in himself, and his new abilities had grown exponentially. He could now do everything a vampire was expected to do, and more. Even his training sessions with Camilla were showing promise. Instead of him being barked at like a soldier in boot camp, Shido often rose far above Camilla's expectations, and have gained a small portion of respect from his teacher. Cain occasionally participated with the training as well, yet his skills were far more advanced than anyone there, and he was yet to be bested. The fact that he was a natural-born vampire might have to do with it, but nobody questioned his power, and only revered it.

Shido had also worked his way into feeding off the blood of the humans in the villages nearby. At first, his targets were chosen at random; as long as it could breathe, he'd drink from them. Eventually, his tactics became stealthier and he caused less alarm when there was a reported case of vampirism in the area. And yet, no matter how hungry he was, no matter how driven the thirst made him, Shido never killed his victims. He never thought of it to be necessary. That was until Cain had accompanied him on a hunt one evening. Cain had decided on a victim for each of them, and everything went smoothly; but when Cain was done feeding, he noticed that Shido's victim was still alive, barely hanging onto life. Cain, frowning at the poor site, formed a sword from his blood, and ended the pathetic one's suffering. Looking up from the corpse, he faced Shido and said, "No matter who it may be, Shido, you must either finish drinking their blood or kill them off quickly. For to make them bear through the pain until they die from it is a fate too cruel for any being, be they of the light or darkness. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Lord Cain. I apologize for my ignorance." Shido bowed obediently. Cain, lifted Shido's head, and replied, "Good." and kissed him lightly on the lips. Noticing that he had excess blood on his lips, Cain licked the rest of it off of Shido, and they left the scene. Being kissed by Cain no longer bothered him as it did in the past. For over the years, Cain spent more and more time with Shido, often engaging in the education of his new life. Cain taught more advanced techniques to Shido that neither Camilla nor Rosa knew of, and also taught Shido of how the feelings of love are boundless. Shido then grew to accept his new lease on life, and all of its views. In fact, Cain would often kiss Shido immediately after a successful hunt, and Shido would just accept his lord's affection as they returned back to the manor.

As the doors swung open, Rosa and Camilla were there to greet the two at the entrance. Bowing slightly as they entered, Rosa and Camilla welcomed them with a "Welcome back to the manor, my lords."

"Thank you, Rosa, Camilla." Cain waved them away as he hung his cloak on the nearby stand. Shido was about to do the same when he heard a sudden yell behind him. Turning around, Shido saw Camilla and Rosa leap at him with their nails drawn. Leaping out of the way, Shido bit his finger and flung his signature blood bullets at each of the twin vampires, who dodged them with ease. Kicking things up a bit, Rosa and Camilla each formed a pair of twin swords in their hands, and assumed an offensive stance. Shido, grinning slightly, bit his finger and formed his weapon of choice, an ornate broadsword. Giving the blade a good swing, Shido took a defensive stance and awaited the first attack. Rosa was the first to go.

Disappearing in her familiar bed of swirling rose petals, Rosa reappeared behind Shido, crossed her arms, and performed a scissor slash aimed at Shido's head. However, the attack didn't connect, as it went through Shido's head without leaving as much as a scratch. To Rosa's surprise, she found herself attacking Shido's shadow. Searching quickly for where he might be, Rosa felt a sharp kick connect with her lower-back which sent her flying towards Camilla. Camilla leapt over her sister's body, and ran past the shadow to find Shido standing, grinning at his attackers. Camilla threw both of her swords at Shido, one high and the other low; and as he dodged each blade, she predicted where Shido would land, and connected with his foot with a sweeping kick. Shido fell on his back, but used the momentum to get back on his feet, and flung his blade at Camilla. Looking up just fast enough to see it coming, Camilla dodged slightly to the right, barely evading the blade.

Thinking she was safe, she grinned, but felt something warm drip from her check. Infuriated, Camilla healed the cut Shido gave her and grew out her nails once more. "Rosa! Together now!" she called out to her sister. Obliging, Rosa grew out her nails as well, and began running along the wall towards Shido's position. As she charged, Camilla crouched low, and dashed quickly towards Shido's left side. Getting ready, Shido raised both his arms in another defensive stance, and waited once more. When the two sisters got within range, they leapt at Shido for one more attempt at his life. At the last second, Shido, crossed his arms, performed a quick corkscrew flip in the air, and grabbed one of each of the sister's arms. Bent their wrists and aimed their elongated nails at each other's throat, just stopping short of piercing the sisters' necks. "That's enough!" came a shout from atop of the stairs overseeing the fight. Apparently Cain was spectating the event from a safe enough distance, and from the look on his face, he seemed very please with the results. "I commend you three on your physical prowess thus far. Shido, your skills have grown quite nicely thanks to Camilla's training."

"Thank you, my lord," Shido released his hold on the sisters' arms, and he and Camilla bowed towards Cain.

"And you, Rosa. Though your skills need some work, you have made your improvements."

"Thank you, Lord Cain. I will try harder in the future."

"Indeed…" With that, Cain turned and disappeared down the hallway. "I grow weary, so I shall now retire for the evening. I will be expecting you in my quarters later, Shido?"

"Of course, my lord. After I've attend to other matters, I shall join you later."

"Very well…" Cain disappeared from view, and the room fell silent again. Shido stretched his arms and turned towards Rosa. Smiling he walked over and lightly kissed her on her lips. "Did I hurt you, Rosa?" he asked as he examined her closely. Rosa smiled and shook her head. "No, my love, the injury is slight." Shido embraced her, and kissed her once more. Feeling drained from his hunt and surprise defense lesson, Shido came up with a bright idea. "What say we go to the bath and release some of our tensions…?"

"That sounds delightful, but I'm afraid my sister and I have the rest of the evening to ourselves…" she frowned. "How about I treat you to one of my "special" massages tomorrow night?" she raised an eyebrow. Shido, thinking back to the first few times she gave him said massage, simply smiled and nodded. Rosa grinned, said, "Good boy," and she left with her sister to feast for the remainder of the evening.

That would be the last time that Shido ever saw the two of them.

--------------------------------------------------

The following evening, Shido woke up from within his coffin to find that Cain had already gone. '_That's strange… Lord Cain isn't usually the first one to wake up…_' Shaking the thought from his mind, Shido rose from his sleeping quarters and made his way to the main floor of the mansion. To his surprise, the entire building was completely vacant. With the exception of himself, not a single soul inhabited the compound. Where had the others gone? Where had Cain gone off to so early in the evening? But most importantly, where was Rosa? Out of the four of them, she was the earliest riser, always greeting Shido with her deceptively innocent smile. Today, however, it was just him inside their home.

"Well now, it seems like I have the entire mansion to myself… But what to do…? This place seems so much larger since it's just myself occupying the space. There's no telling how long it would take for the others to return... I know…! I'll pay a visit to the town where I used to live." It had been quite a while since Shido had been to the town he once grew up in since becoming a vampire. Since everyone else was already out, why shouldn't Shido have a night out by himself? It was settled. After dressing himself, and grabbing his coat, Shido made his way towards the town that he used to call home.

Upon arriving into town, Shido noticed that the town had taken a turn for the worst. The quaint little city that he left so long ago with its streets filled with chatting patrons, children playing with their dogs, and vendors of all shapes and sizes had now become a dark, dank, near-uninhabitable ghost-town. The windows were boarded shut, the shops he frequented in the past had their windows broken in, and there was a pungent smell of death that hung in the air. '_What happened to this place? It's as if the life of this place was sucked away…_' Shido thought.

Everywhere he went, Shido would not find a single soul that would communicate with him. Though the streets were empty, Shido could tell there were people inside due to the fact that he could smell their blood; but due to the smells of other bodily fluids, he could tell they were too scared to step foot outside of their homes. What happened to these people to make them so scared? And what was causing the smell of death in the atmosphere? While walking around a bit in the desolation, Shido suddenly came across an old homeless man, who was probably the only person he'd ever meet tonight, so he walked over to the old man who, not to Shido's surprise, panicked at the sight of someone walking the streets during these desperate times.

"G-get away from me! Demoness! Succubus! Unholy monster!" the man screamed in fear.

"Hold on a minute, sir! What do you mean by calling someone you just met a monster? And a succubus and demonesses are of the female gender…"

"I mean exactly what I say, villain! Who other than the one the caused this travesty would dare walk these grounds with not a care in the world? Your actions shall damn your soul to hell for eternity, I say! Your day of reckoning shall come, vile one!"

" … Well, that may be true in the end, but I am not this monster that you claim me to be! And what you said doesn't change the fact that for me to be the culprit, I'd have to be a woman!"

"Do not try to fool me with your unholy trickery! I know that you demons have the ability to change your form when ever you deem it necessary! I hope you burn for your sins, queen of the darkness! You and that damned library you call your sanctuary!" The old man had gotten to his feet, and ran off into the distance, still screaming his rantings and ravings of damnation to a confused and offended Shido.

"I AM NOT A WOMAN!!!!" he screamed at the quickly disappearing lunatic, but he wasn't sure if the man either heard him, or paid attention to him; but through his constant damning and screaming, Shido was able to discern the location of the city's tormentor. Making his way towards the center of the town, Shido had come to what he was looking for. Standing before him was the very library that he had entered months ago to try to find a way to reverse his new way of life. Out of all the buildings in the city, this one was the only one that hadn't undergone a change for the worst. Stepping inside, however, was a completely different story.

The interior of the library had attained a definite dark, gothic look to it. Where the various candelabras that lit the inside stood, were now pikes with human skulls with a candle on top of each skull. Where there were desks for those who wished to read once stood, were now racks, iron maidens, and various other torture devices thought up by man. It had seemed like the once bright and cheery depository for books of all orientation had now become a torture chamber that had apparently seen much use since its beginning days of operation. "It's like the Occult Section has expanded …" Shido noticed. "At least this place still has the books that came with it…. What was that quote again?"

"'Come Heaven or Hellfire… if it's written in a book, we'll be sure to take a look!' That phrase hasn't seen much use lately these days…" came a feminine voice that seemed to echo from all over the building. Shido, sensing obvious danger, brought his finger to his lips, in anticipation for an attack. Calling out to the voice that sounded strangely familiar, Shido shouted, "Who goes there!?"

"A question I should be asking you…" The voice's source was very hard to locate due to the acoustics of the large library. From where Shido stood, it sounded as if the voice was close to him, and yet so far away at the same time. This was a very bad situation. Shido was in an open area in enemy territory, and his ears was doing all they could to deceive him of his supposed enemy's location. But then, turning around, Shido came face to face with the mistress of the library. "It's been a long time, Mr. Shido."

"… Heather…!?"

-End-

A/N: WHEW! Took me long enough to update this one, didn't it? I REALLY apologize, but I had a serious case of writer's block earlier on in the chapter, and I just was too tired from working lately. 8 chapters, huh?… I honestly didn't think I'd make this many… Not sure how many more I'll make either, but I'll keep pumping them out if I keep coming up with ideas… Seriously, I originally thought this would be a one-shot story… Anyway, as always, thanks for reading, and we'll see you in the next chapter.


	9. Reunion

Disclaimer: The following characters mentioned in this fanfic do not belong to me (With an exception of Heather, Rosa, and Camilla). They are created by/belong to Ayana Itsuki, and the fabulous folks at TV Tokyo. If I did, then this cursed writer's block wouldn't be coming so easily these days…

--Love Eternal…? Reunion--

"Yes… I'm so glad that you've remembered me," said the dark mistress that hovered before Shido. Though her clothing, hair, and mannerisms were completely different, there was no doubt in his mind; the dark figure that floated before Shido was the conservative librarian, and his first victim, Heather Wilkins. Obviously she'd dropped the conservative look since her 'transformation' took hold of her, and she seemed to take well to her change of lifestyle. She was garbed in a black, tattered bar-maiden's dress with the sleeves torn, and the dress adorned with a dark-grey bustier. Her hair was long and wavy, and her eyes had taken a more seductive tone about them. Rather than falling victim to Death's hand, she became something more. "My my, Mr. Shido… the years certainly have been kind to you, haven't they?" she noticed, as she began encircling where he stood. Taking in all the new sights and smells that was the new Shido that stood before her, she began to breathe in deeply as if she was trying to suck away his very essence. "Funny… despite your metamorphosis, it's like you haven't changed at all since last we met…"

"I'm… not sure what you mean, Miss Wilkins…" Shido tried not to look in her eyes, but found he had great difficulty in doing so, with her constantly gliding around him. "I've become a different person since we last saw each other…"

"Oh? But you still seem so familiar to me…" she said, sounding a bit surprised at his response, at which she stopped circling him, and fixated herself on his face, bringing hers in close proximity to his. As she began to cup his face in her now icy-cold hands, she said, "Especially your eyes… So innocent, so beautiful… so defenseless… I can't believe I fell for these eyes when we first met!" She suddenly screamed the last phrase and gripped Shido's throat with what seemed like all her might. Shido, caught off guard from this sudden attack, gripped her hands and tried his best to keep her from crushing his esophagus. Struggling to breathe, an idea popped into Shido's head just as his vision beginning to get blurry. Taking his foot and planting it on Heather's stomach, Shido kicked her away as hard as he could, and fell to his knees gasping for air.

"So you hit women now too, Mr. Shido!? Perhaps you've really changed after all!" Heather cackled in the darkness of the abandoned library. Shido, after catching his breath and getting to his feet, brought his finger to his lips, bit, and drew his sword. "Oooh and you've learned some new tricks… However…!" Her voice echoed all over the library until the last moment, when she came crashing down where Shido stood, swinging a large battle-axe of her own blood to attempt to cut Shido in two. Shido, sensing her presence at the last second, dodged out of the way just in time to escape her attack. "Why run, Mr. Shido!? We have SOOOOO much to catch up on!" she laughed as she disappeared into the darkness once again. Shido ran deeper inside the library to try to find a safe place to hide, but no matter where he went, Heather's evil laughter seemed to follow him wherever he ran. This was her domain, and she wasn't going to allow any change of leverage as easy as he wanted to. He was trapped.

After he was sure he had lost her, Shido took cover behind a bookcase and tried to formulate a plan to at least get her to stop attacking him. Hiding wouldn't work for too long. Deciding that the worst thing he could do is not even try to get an advantage, Shido leapt to the top of the bookcase he was hiding behind and began to scan the area. With all the windows boarded up, and barely any candle light to illuminate the desolate library, Shido had to resort to his night vision. His eyes began to glow, and revealed the entire area's contents to him; though despite his enhanced vision, her position couldn't be found. '_Where is she…!?_' he thought to himself. As if to answer his question, Heather's voiced shrieked next to him, "Looking for me!?" Shido turned just in time to see Heather swing her massive axe in an attempt to slice Shido in two. Bringing up his sword to defend him at the last second, Shido blocked the blade of the axe; but it was swung with so much force, it flung him off the bookcase. Flipping into the air, Shido's feet landed on the next bookcase, and leaping off it, he charged at Heather in an attempt to counter-attack.

Summoning all his strength, Shido swung his blade with all his might in case she would block with her axe, but to his surprise, she took the blow; or rather, it seemed she did. Shido's sword glided through her frame just as easy as it would through mist. Turning as he landed on the next book case across from where Heather's shadow stood, Shido brought his sword up to defend himself incase Heather decided to attack him from nowhere again. He was greeted with her eerie cackling instead. "I'm afraid you won't last long with skills like that! Poor Mr. Shido… Can't even tell if it's my shadow you're attacking. It's a pity to see you flailing around like a fish out of water. Even a fish can put up a decent fight before it dies of asphyxiation…!" A whirling sound could be heard from the distance to Shido's left. He twirled just in time to barely dodge Heather's hurled axe as it cuts into his side. He had barely any time to check the deepness of the wound when Heather followed up with a flurry of her own blood bullets flying towards Shido in a different direction. Using the blood from his wound, he created a simple whip in his free hand and deflected the projectiles. The sting from the cut brought his attention back to it. Checking it thoroughly, he came to the conclusion that it would heal pretty soon. Focusing on closing the cut, he forgot all about where Heather had disappeared to when he heard her voice bellow all over the library once more. "Let's make this even more interesting…" She laughed again, as if her every word was a joke that only she understood.

'_Interesting? Her trying to kill me is interesting enough. What could she possibly have in--… ah… I see…_' It seemed Heather was on a role with answering Shido's questions without hearing them. Soon, a dark mist began to grow and flow throughout the entire building. The blackness seemed to swallow up whatever it came in contact with. But something else was very odd about this mist. Not only did it seem to make the library even darker than before, but Shido noticed that not the slightest bit of noise was able to reach his ear. From the creeks from the old wooden bookcases, to the sound of the rats crawling around the floors to find something to satiate their hunger for the night, Shido could hear nothing all around him. Now he was robbed of two of his senses. '_Wonderful_…'

Discarding his whip in exchange for another sword, Shido entered a defensive stance and did what he could only do in such an occasion. He waited. Waited for a chance to counter Heather and put her on the defensive for once; or if he was lucky, end the fight as soon as possible. He had already made the mistake of letting it drag out far too long. Without being able to neither see nor hear where the attacks were coming from, Shido was running out of options. Then it happened: The first of Heather's many invisible attacks. First she struck him from across the chest, then three more times, one for each arm and the other down his thigh. Each time her attacks found him, Shido's body became more and more covered in wounds that were starting to heal slower and slower due to him losing more and more blood. Then it suddenly hit him. '_My blood! By now her weapon and clothes are probably soaked in them! I may not be able to see or hear her anymore, but if I can follow the scent of my blood on her, then maybe I…!_'

Within a split second of creating his plan, his nose immediately twitched, locating the scent of his own blood caked on Heather's axe and tattered dress. He could smell it approaching at a high speed from in front of him. Taking the necessary actions, Shido leapt to evade the blade, but ended up crashing into a surprised Heather. "Clumsy oaf!" Heather screamed, but due to her mist, she knew he couldn't hear her. So to make her frustration known to him, she kicked Shido off of her towards the ground in a small fit of rage. Shido crashed hard onto the worn carpeted floor of the library and thanked whatever powers that be that he was able to avoid the attack. A few acts of trial and error later, Shido was able to effectively dodge each and every attack that Heather threw at him. However, he began to notice a change in her assaults on him. Their frequency, and sometimes speed were slowing down, becoming fewer and fewer. What did it mean? He'd find out soon enough. For now, he had to focus on his defenses.

His nose twitched slightly. _'… she's coming again… from the right… No, wait! … from the left as well…? A pincer attack!_' Remembering his training sessions with Rosa and Carmella, Shido formulated a quick plan of action. Taking in account of Heather's axe, and the possibility of her creating another to attack from the other side, Shido estimated how she'd attack, and responded accordingly. The first attack came; Shido deflected the attack successfully with his sword, and resumed his stance. The second attack came; Shido then leapt above when the scent came close to him, and swung his sword in an attempt to strike Heather. His sword, however, had missed its target. '_No matter. At least I dodged her att_--' "AUGH!!" A third attack, one Shido hadn't accounted for, had found its mark on him multiple times. As the shock of pain began to take hold him, Shido's sword had lost his form, and he could hear a small chuckle from behind him. The dark mist that had enveloped the area had quickly begun to evaporate and disappear. Looking down, Shido found that he had been pierced by 4 of Heather's nails. Two had punctured his right lung, one through his stomach, and the other just below his throat. "Didn't expect that last attack, did you my adorable little pin cushion?" Heather asked, giggling like a school girl who had just been given a new toy to play with.

"But… but how did you…?"

"Oh that? Well, it's quite simple really, Heather said, getting closer to Shido as she began to explain, making sure that her extended nails were pushing through, and making Shido's wounds wider and wider. "You see, after I was shocked that you were starting to dodge my attacks, I thought of how you were able to track me without your sight or sound… Then I noticed that I was literally covered in your delectable life fluids. Any vampire worth his unholy salt could then determine that you were tracking me by the scent of your own blood. How very canine of you, Mr. Shido! Therefore, since you had adapted to my little game, I decided to change the rules. You see, you were right to think that I was going to attack you from multiple sides, you just miscounted, love." She was soon close enough to touch Shido with her free hand, so as to clue in Shido on what he was attacked with, he turned his head left and right to see the last of her two axes, losing their forms and evaporating away to nothingness.

"But… how was… How was I not… able to… detect you…!?" Shido said, struggling to breath and talk at the same time. Heather, only grinned and pressed herself onto Shido's back, leaned in close to his ear and whispered, "Let's just say, I'm wearing nothing but a smile…! Tee hee!" Usually, Shido would be blushing right now if he had the blood to do so. He also found it hard to be aroused when he was perpetually impaled in four different places on his body. The extra weight Heather was placing on him was only making his efforts even more daunting. He wanted to fall to his knees but found that if dropped any more than he already had, the nails would only move upwards, making the wounds more painful than they already were. Shido's vision was starting to blur, and Heather's constant giggling seemed distant. He had lost too much blood, and the only vampires around to help were nowhere to be found. How he'd wished that they were here now.

"C..c…"

"Mmm?" Heather had stopped her laughter after hearing Shido struggling to speak one last time. "Why, whatever is wrong, Mr. Shido? Is there something on your mind? Well, love, do speak up. Come now, don't stutter!" Heather finally retracted her nails from Shido's dying body. His body immediately crumpled to the floor, the strength to stand having left him long before. Heather placed her hands on her hips as if she was dealing with a disobedient child, and lied down on her stomach to hear whatever it was that he was struggling to say. "What is it, boy? Come on! You can do it!"

"C…Cain…" he was finally able to muster.

"Cain? Now who could that be…?" Heather wondered. "Is he the one who changed you? Your protector perhaps? Oh! Maybe Cain is your lover! Oh… how sad… Cain's not here, sweetie!" Heather laughed again and began dancing around Shido's body, like a girl in a field of flowers. Shido could no longer stand this woman. True, it was his fault that she became what she is now, but her hatred has turned her into a creature fueled by hate. In a sense, he could see a small bit of himself in her when she was attacking him; however, he could tell she had come to grips with what she became on a different level than Shido. She not only accepted what she was, she was enjoying it. After her little dance, Heather got to her knees and brought Shido's face to hers. "Say, I've got an idea! Why don't you become my servant! I mean, what good is someone's master if they aren't even going to come to their rescue? If you do, I'll save your life! What say you, Mr. Shido? Oh, I'm sorry, titles will no longer be necessary since you shall become my servant… Well? Your answer?"

Shido remained silent. He lacked the strength to answer Heather, and even if he did, he was sure the response he would've given her would result in more pain. Heather, displeased with his silence, simply cradled him in her lap, and said, "Sigh, if you can't speak, I can't decide what to do with you next… So as an act of mercy, here…" Heather bit her lower lip, and sucking on it, began to let the blood pool in her mouth. Leaning over to Shido, she placed her lips onto his, and allowed the blood to fall into his mouth. Taking further advantage of the situation, Heather slipped her tongue in Shido's mouth as well, and let it dance in his, tasting the bittersweet mix of blood and saliva. However, feeling something sharp prick her tongue, she pulled back immediately and slapped Shido, spilling the blood that she poured into his mouth. "You ungrateful bastard! How dare you bite me when I'm offering you a gift! Fine, then! You wish for death so badly!? I shall give it to you!"

Heather dropped Shido and stood above him, her pale, naked body in a domineering pose as she prepared for her kill. Spitting the remainder of the blood in her mouth into the palm of her hand, instead of forming another axe, Heather's blood took the form of a halberd. Spinning it above her head, she took one last look at Shido and said, "Farewell, Shido… you would've made a pitiful servant anyway…" Shido's eyes were very heavy. The small amount of blood that he did swallow that Heather gave him did give him a small amount of time to live longer, but his level of consciousness remained the same. For that reason alone, he was unsure as to why Heather was still standing before him, and she hadn't made any movements that would lead to his undoing. What was even more surprising was that the next time he opened his eyes, he was sitting in his coffin facing the ceiling of his own room. Sitting up, Shido saw that Cain was sitting in a chair across from where he lay, his golden eyes fixed on Shido, like they always are. "Cain…?"

"… As your creator, we share a special bond, Shido. No matter where you are in the world, all you need do is say my name, and I will rush to your side." Cain said calmly.

"I'm gl--… I see…" Shido then realized that Cain was attending other business while Shido was dealing with Heather. "My lord… What of your previous affairs…?"

"… I have plenty of time to deal with that. You are far more important, Shido."

"Cain… I… I…" Shido started feeling woozy. His wounds had apparently healed, but he was still short on blood.

"You are still weak from your confrontation with that woman… Here," Cain walked towards Shido, removed a glove from one of his hands, bit the index finger and held it out to Shido. "drink." Shido could only gaze at the crimson fluid dripping slowly from the open wound on Cain's finger. With each drip, the familiar feeling began to hit Shido again in waves, each stronger than the other. The thirst began to swell up inside him, but since this was his master, Shido had to reserve himself, lest he do something risky and take Cain's whole hand away. "Hurry Shido… The wound is closing…" Cain said, egging Shido on. Nodding, Shido leant over to Cain's extended finger and stuck his tongue out, cleaning the blood that trickled from his master's extended digit. Cain's blood tasted slightly different this time around. It didn't have the usual flavor it held whenever Cain allowed a feeding. '_He must've just fed himself_…' Shido thought to himself after he had licked Cain's finger clean.

Cain looked down at Shido and said, "Perhaps another feeding will be necessary…" Removing his cloak, Cain then bit his lower lip and sucked on it, allowing the blood to begin pooling in his mouth. This brought back memories of Heather so Shido was hesitant to receive until Cain said, "… Do not worry, she's no longer of this world, my dear Shido…" Relaxing a bit after hearing Cain confirm Heather's demise, Shido closed his eyes and his lips met Cain's. Somehow Cain's kisses seemed different than when Shido kissed other people. Though their lips were icy cool, Shido swore that he could feel a small glimpse of warmth envelope him. Like he was feeling something genuinely real for the first time in a long time. Whatever this feeling was, Shido liked it. And despite all that he'd been through, Shido wanted to feel this warmth again and again.

-End-

A/N: OH MY GOD! I'm so sorry for taking so long to update… It's just that… You know when… Life is not always… Sometimes down the road you get… *sigh* Let's just say I'm back in the swing of things. I'm more focused now, so I'll probably release stuff a bit sooner than I usually do. No promises, though. Thank you for reading, and being patient with me, and I'll see you in the next chapter. Also, for those who caught on, the part where Shido licked the blood off Cain's finger was inspired by a similar scene in Hellsing. Forgive me if you think I'm stealing ideas, but honestly, this stuff is hard enough to write when ideas don't flow as much as they used to…


	10. Fever Dream

Disclaimer: The following entities most commonly referred to as "characters" that shall be henceforth called, mentioned, and/or referenced to in this article of fictional happenstance known more commonly as a "fanfic" are owned by me(With an exception of Heather, Rosa, and Camilla). They are created by/belong to Ayana Itsuki, and the individuals at programming station that has the moniker of TV Tokyo. If such an event occurred where the peoples and places were indeed in my possession, then perhaps there would not be a need for individuals such as me to prepare such long-winded and needlessly drawn-out disclaimers to state that which is obvious and observable by those who are more used to disclaimers which are noticeably shorter.

Tldr; I don't own more than two things: Jack and spit, and Jack left town.

-Love Eternal…? Fever Dream-

'… I desperately need a shower,' was the only thought going through Shido's head after lying in his coffin for what seemed like forever. The event with Heather had passed a few days ago, and yet Shido still lacked the strength to move around properly. Looking around, Shido searched the room to try and find any presence of Cain; however, to his dismay, he was nowhere to be found. Feeling a bit upset, he slumped out of his coffin, dressed himself in a robe he conveniently found in a chair next to him, and began to shuffle to the baths. "These halls… I've never known for them to be so… long… Where the devil is…-" A whiff of something sweet had passed across Shido's nose.

Following the fragrant trail, Shido soon came to a room at the furthest end of the manor with its large wooden door shut tight, concealing whatever aromatic secrets that lay beyond it. As if the door could sense Shido was too weak to open it, it began to slowly swing open as he approached it, inviting him inside. Considering all he had witnessed over the years, such a thing wasn't too uncommon to him, so Shido took the invitation and limped inside. Once inside, he noticed that the room he had walked into had a sense of familiarity to it. Thinking back hard, Shido realized this was the very space that he woke up in the morning he was turned; however there was one thing different about it. Rose petals had blanketed every inch of every corner of the room. "Well, that certainly explains the smell. But who would-"

"Is there really a need to ask, my dear Shido?" came a familiar deep voice from behind Shido. Turning as quickly as his weakened body would allow, Shido saw that Cain was standing behind him with an awkwardly innocent smile on his face.

"M-my lord…!" Shido flustered, completely caught off guard that he had failed to detect his master's presence. Cain's smile faded slightly as he shook his head and said, "You really couldn't notice my presence until now? These past few days during your recovery have made you soft, Shido. Soft, and tender… like your skin," he added as he extended his hand and stroked Shido's face gently. Shido was frozen in place completely while Cain made his advances, still trying to come up with a good excuse for his lack in attentiveness. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Shido's eyes averted Cain's as he said, "F-forgive me, I… I will try to b-bolster my skills after I've reco-"

"Hush, now… There will be plenty of time for training later, Shido," Cain interrupted, and turning Shido's head to reconnect the gaze once more, he added, "But now is the time for healing, a rather specific type of healing."

"A specific… type, my lord? What kind would you prescribe…?"

"Sexual, of course" he answered as a smile crept upon his lips, after which they came into contact with Shido's in a long, deep kiss. Shido's eyes widened at the sudden contact, but soon relaxed and closed as he and Cain both lost themselves into each other. Wrapping one arm around Shido's waist, and cupping his face with the other, Cain and Shido exchanged kisses as if they were newlyweds on the eve of their honeymoon. Cain's tongue moved as if it had a mind of its own as it danced wildly in Shido's mouth. Tasting, lapping, and licking, and savoring every slippery surface as if Shido's oral cavity was the tastiest treat Cain had ever had in his centuries of "living". Shido found himself being lulled slowly into a dream-like trance as their lips were connected. The longer they kissed, the deeper the fell, until Cain's lips broke contact with Shido's as he gripped Shido's shoulders and pushed him away. With a small whimper, Shido protested, "My lor-"

"Shh," Cain interrupted again, placing a finger on Shido's lips. "Let's drop the titles just for tonight…"

"Yes… Cain."

"That's better." He smiled again. "Forgive me, Shido. I know this may be a bit late for warnings, but… I may not have total control over my actions tonight…!" Cain grinned madly as he suddenly shot his palm forward and Shido flew across the room, landing square in the middle of the bed. More than surprised, Shido fumbled in the bed as he tried to sit up as quickly as possible; Shido's suspicions were confirmed, to his disappointment. 'This was another one of Cain's attempts to catch me off guard for an attack', he thought, as he instinctively raised his index finger to his lip; however, he found something else was on Cain's mind as Shido saw Cain shrug off the unbuttoned shirt he was wearing. "Oh, Shido, that confused look on your face. It reminds me of the first time I invited you over. So timid… so vulnerable… I just want to sink my fangs into your perfect skin all over again!" As quick as a flash of lightning, Cain was on top of Shido's body faster than a wolf pouncing on a helpless rabbit after a successful hunt.

"Look what I've caught…!" Cain cooed in Shido's ear before tentatively nibbling on Shido's earlobe. Being a known weak spot of Shido's, discovered after many nights they spent together, Shido reacted with a sharp gasp followed by a pleasurable moan. It was music to Cain, who upped the ante by using his tongue to trace every wrinkle in Shido's ear, whose response was another quick gasp. Though in ecstasy, Shido felt somewhere deep within him that he had to protest. "Cain…! You are most unfair…! Taking advantage of me Ahhn..! When I'm at… my… my weakest…!" To his surprise and disappointment, Cain immediately stopped.

"I am unfair to you, Shido?" he asked

"Y…yes…" Shido answered with the saddest "puppy dog eyes" ever seen on a living creature.

"But this is how I've always done it…" Cain playfully argued. "If you want me to stop, you need only tell me to…"

By this time, the places on Shido's ear Cain was licking had begun to tingle due to the lack of attention Cain was paying to them. The tingling sensation soon grew from his ear and began traveling down his spine. Shido's complaints and reason no longer had a say in the matter. Pleasure's call beckoned to him like a Siren, and he couldn't resist it any further. "… Please…"

"Please is a word, Shido, not a statement. You'll have to do better than that." Cain chuckled. He made no effort in hiding the fact that he loved watching Shido squirm. It filled him with great joy to know that he was in total control. Shido, only fidgeted for a while before finally uttering, "Please... violate me…"

"Hmmhmm… Good boy. That's one barrier down. Let's rip through another…!" With a flick of his wrist, Shido's robe was torn to pieces. "My my, Shido. How bold of you to not wear any undergarments…!"

"What! B-but I could've sworn-"

"Calm yourself… It only makes things easier for us both, my love." Cain licked his lips as he eyed all that Shido had to offer. Their pale skin almost glowing in the moonlight that shown through the window, Cain proceeded to fulfill his lover's request. Planting another kiss on Shido's lips, Cain began to work his way southward. Kissing and licking as he went, Cain began to trace his path from Shido's lips to his neck. Thankfully having fed before trapping Shido, Cain resisted making any attempt to pierce Shido's pulsating jugular vein, but purposely lightly traced his teeth on it when he passed by the area. The further down Cain went, the louder Shido's moans became. Having not made love since the night before the 'Heather incident', combined with his weakened state, Shido found his body was as sensitive as a cat's ear, and Cain was taking full advantage of the situation. As his tongue traced Shido's upper half, Cain's hand was doing the same to Shido's lower half. Slowly caressing and massaging, Cain's hand made its way upwards until it stopped just shy of Shido's nether regions.

At this point, Shido was far beyond "on edge", with every carefully placed action Cain took, shivers ran through Shido's body in torrents. His toes curled, and his hands gripped the bed sheets until he couldn't stand it. And yet, Cain, completely in control, took his precious time touching and lapping every inch of Shido's body. Cain knew that Shido was on the verge of release, but he wasn't going to give it to him just yet. He wanted to savor every gasp and every moan that crept from Shido's lips. After what felt like an eternity for Shido, Cain's tongue had reached the area just below Shido's navel, and without so much as a warning, he stopped. "W-why have you stopped…!" Shido asked, trying hard to hide the pleasing in his voice.

"Well, Shido, you have spent the past few days recovering. And…"

"And…?"

"Well, you haven't bathed yet. And I'm not so sure if I should continue to do this without you having done so…" Cain teased. He could hardly contain the smile on his face, and the depraved thoughts that motivated his ploy. "What to do…?"

"We-we can bathe later…!" Shido suggested hastily. "We can take a trip to the baths later, but please finish…!"

"But Shido… this place is… unclean…"

"I-i-it's not THAT unclean… Certainly not too dirty for you…!"

"Oh really?" Cain raised an eyebrow, to which Shido quickly responded, "I didn't mean that! Oh please, Cain. Please, don't stop!"

"But Shido, you… do your 'business' from there…" Cain pouted, to which Shido exclaimed, "Not right now, I do! Cain, please go on! I beg you! I'm so close, I'm about to burst…!"

"As you wish…" Cain chuckled, giving his navel a slight peck. "You're just too adorable to resist, especially when you're pleading. On to the main course!"

Though it had only been a few days, Cain and Shido felt like they hadn't made love in ages. Even Cain was close to admitting he was at his limit. It was seeing Shido in his vulnerable state that sent him over the edge. Removing the rest of his articles of clothes, Cain stood in front of an eagerly awaiting Shido. Thinking that he'd teased him long enough, Cain sought to finally give Shido the release he'd been wanting. "Shido. My dear Shido…"

"Oh Cain…"

"Shido…!"

"Cain…!"

"Shido…! Shido…! Shido…! SHIDO! How long are you going to be asleep in bed!"

"What…!"

* * *

"Shido, if you do not wake up this instant, I'm going to leave you here!" came words from Cain that was highly unsettling to Shido in more ways than one. After slowly opening his eyes Shido found that he was in the very bedroom that he thought he was in, but the scenery was completely different. The room was completely bare, save for the bed Shido was sleeping in, and the sound of footsteps could be heard echoing from all over the estate. After getting out of the bed, Shido noticed that Cain was managing a large group of large men who were lugging large boxes and furniture items towards the exit. A bit bewildered at what was unfolding before him, Shido approached Cain and asked, "We're moving…?"

"Yes, to Paris. I hear they call it the "city of lights and romance" these days. Plus, it has been a while since I was last in France… Be careful with that suit of armor! It costs more than you do!" Cain said, without looking at Shido. He was busy marking off items on a list, and issuing orders to the men moving about in their home. Shido could only drop his jaw at the sudden news. They were packing up their things and moving to a new location! But not to any old place, but Paris, France of all places! Shido hadn't been anywhere outside of Transylvania since he first arrived to further his studies about medicine. And it was then that Shido suddenly remembered something. He couldn't remember when the last time he had traveled at all was. When exactly did he arrive in Transylvania? What was his mother doing since his absence?

Shido felt uncomfortable not being able to remember something so important that happened to him in the past, so he awkwardly walked up to Cain and tried to get his attention, "Cain…? Cain I need to tal-"

"Not now, Shido. I need to coordinate these idiots, before we have to carry our things in more boxes than we need… You there! Drop those books once more, and you'll find out the true extent of how the human body can bend! I'm sorry Shido, but I must tend to this." He hurried off in the direction that the movers were handling the aforementioned books, leaving Shido alone to sort his feelings. But before he barked out another order, Cain returned to Shido, and kissed him, much to Shido's surprise. Before returning to the movers, Cain leaned closer to him and said, "Be a good boy, and maybe it'll be your turn tonight…"

-End-

a/n: My sincerest apologies to those who were waiting a LONG time for this chapter to show up, and an even MORE sincere apology for those who are awaiting the end of this series, all I can promise you is that it's coming! Anyway, this chapter is more or less an apology for those who waited for a chapter with a bit more man-lovin in this story, so here you go! It's been a while since I wrote something remotely this steamy, so I hope I did a good job without going too far. Also, brownie points (no pun intended) for those who saw the "but I poop from there" reference and got a lol or two. If not, youtube is your friend. Thanks VERY much for reading, and we'll see you in the next chapter!


End file.
